Inconvenient
by rythmteck
Summary: If coincidences are accidental, why do they seem so contrived? A story of coincidences, inconveniences, and a bit of love on the high seas. "Funny 'ole World, isn't it?" Has a little bit of everything for everybody. And a lot of Jack. COMPLETE
1. Forward

Author's Note:

_This is the revised version of my original fic, "Inconvenient." It is the same story except with fewer author's notes, and compressed chapters. (I went through and combined every two chapters into one.) Some details have been added, changed, removed, but nothing that really changes the plot. Please, if you haven't yet read this, give it a trial chapter or three, and let me know what you think. Flames not exactly welcome, but constructive criticisms are._

_At the request of one reviewer, I'm giving you this warning now:_

**_Title_**_: _Inconvenient__

**_Author_**_: _SarahUhden__

**_Rating_**_: _PG_-_13__

**_Genres_**_: _General_/_Humor_/_Romance__

**_Characters_**_ **that** **aren't **mine**: **_Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swan, Anamaria, Gibbs, anyone else from PotC__

**_Characters_**_ **that** **are **mine**: **_Winn, her brothers, sister-in-laws, their children, Grandfather, Pige, Marty, Alex,  and anyone else you don't recognize.

Sarah (aka – rythmteck)


	2. The SetUp

A/N:  This is my first ever posting on anything.  Any mistakes are my own, and I blame no one but myself as I am too lazy to check any reference beyond those I own.  If any of my inaccuracies drive you to distraction, let me know and I will certainly see what I can do about them.

Disclaimer:  Don't own them.  Wish I did, but at this point in time it seems very unlikely that I will ever have any rights to this film.  On with the story.

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"Captain, what does that look like to you?"  Winn Morgan handed the spyglass to the Captain who had just come up on the poop deck.  She waited patiently for a reaction from the man, and when he let out a stream of curses that turned the air blue, she merely blinked.  "I take it that you agree we're being followed by a pirate ship?" Winn asked with imperturbable calm.

   "Miss Morgan, this is no time for wit.  We need to prepare for ba –"

   "I agree.  We do need to prepare.  Reef the sails and drop anchor."

   "What!  We still have a chance to outrun them.  The _Kestrel_ is a fast ship, miss.  It is unlikely that we would be caught if we –" the man paused as the temperature of his companion's gaze turned from cool to arctic.

   "No Captain, it is **very likely that we would be caught.  If you haven't noticed from the ship's description and the insignia on her flag, that is the _Black Pearl, the fastest ship in these waters.  We cannot outrun her, and it's unlikely that we would come out unscathed in a sea battle.  I prefer not to irritate the __Pearl's captain, goading him into actions he otherwise would have never taken.  Follow my orders please."_**

   "But miss –"

   "Follow my orders Captain Riley, or I shall relieve you of duty and find someone who will."  Winn's tone was hard as stone as she stared down a man she had known since childhood.

   Riley's back stiffened as he said, "Yes ma'am."

The ship had been taken without a fight – in fact, the _Kestrel hadn't even tried to resist the pirate boarding party.  The ship's unlucky crew was gathered on deck, clustered around the mainmast.  Her captain and first mate were being held on the stern near the helm.  The pirate crew had searched below deck and had found to their disappointment that while the taken ship was rich in foodstuffs, it was poor in booty.  Peeks into the cabins had revealed even less than that – the ship carried but one passenger, a passenger that had been found in the prow near the masthead._

"I believe you're standing in my light.  It's rather inconvenient at the moment.  It you would be so kind as to move."  While the words sounded polite, they were said with the tone of one who is tired of being interrupted by unimportant nuisances, and the one delivering them did not look up from her book.

   The captain's dark eyes glittered with equal parts amusement and exasperation as he considered a reply.  _God save me, he thought, _from the overbred manners of spoiled merchant brats._  At least she wasn't screaming.  "The last time I checked, lass, pirates were never considered a convenience."_

   "True, but some have been known to be more convenient that others."  The girl still sat facing away from him, brown head bowed as she turned to the next page in her tome.

   So, the silly chit thought that she could match wits with him, did she?  "If you consider raiding and pillaging to be a convenience, luv."

   "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of rescuing drowning ladies and defeating shiploads of cursed pirates, Captain Sparrow, although such gallantry seemingly ends when it comes to protecting one's rum supply."

   Jack Sparrow felt shock ripple though him as he drew his sword, though he was careful to keep his customary smirk on his face.  His voice was low and dangerous as he said, "I think you'd best put your book down and stand up, luv – I'm wanting some answers."

   The young woman stood up with an air of resignation, though she kept a finger in her book to mark her spot.  As she did so, the pirate captain realized two things – firstly, that she was no merchant get.  Her skin was too deeply tanned for her to be a proper English lady.  Most English women in this part of the world wanted to keep their fashionable ivory completions and used any number of ridiculous stratagems to preserve them.  This female clearly enjoyed spending time outdoors.  Secondly, though it was hard to pinpoint her age, she was not as young as he had first supposed.

   All this he noticed in the blink of an eye (as all good pirate captains can), and putting his observations aside for the moment he concentrated on getting answers to his questions.

   "Who are you –"

   "– and how did I know who you were?" the girl interrupted.  "That's simple enough.  Everyone knows that Jack Sparrow escaped the gallows last summer to return to his ship, the _Black Pearl.  I simply saw a ship that matched the description of the _Pearl_ and assumed that you were still captain.  Risky in the pirate business, I know, but since your crew was loyal enough to come fetch you from the hangman's noose, I thought that they might not have mutinied against you.  Really Captain, is that sword absolutely necessary?"_

   "Yes, it is.  And while what you say makes sense, I'm more concerned with how you got your information than with what information you have."

   "Easy, I read smoke signals, especially when rum is the main fuel."  While her face was solemn, her eyes gently mocked him from behind brass rimmed spectacles.  When she saw that he was not amused, she muttered something that sounded very much like, _"so much for a sense of humor," then said, "Look, if you don't let us go soon we'll be late getting to port, and then there will be all hell to pay."_

   "Unfortunate.  Where did you get your information from?"

   "An old and dear friend – the soon to be Elizabeth Turner.  Are we done now?"

   Jack didn't hear the question, he was too busy muttering under his own breath, something that sounded distinctly like, _"yes, tell us all why you burned the gods-blest rum.  Why don't you tell the entire bloody **world while you're at it?  There's no living with some people."**_  This went on for some time while the girl tried to stifle her mirth.  Unluckily, she wasn't too successful at it, for she managed to draw the man's attention to her once again.  "Now do you understand why I wouldn't want to be late, Captain?"

   Jack rolled his eyes.  "It takes but three days to reach Port Royal from here.  The weddin's not for another two weeks.  I think we'll be standing here for a while yet, luv; you still haven't answered all my questions."

   "I suppose that means that you aren't going to be putting that _thing away any time soon, are you?"  Her eyes threw a distasteful glance at the unsheathed blade that hadn't moved from its position near her midriff._

   "I suppose it doesn't.  What's your name?"

   The woman glared at him.  "I was hoping you had forgotten about that."

   "I haven't.  Don't make me ask again, savvy?"

   With a look of extreme dislike she said, "Winifred.  Regrettably, most fail to understand that I have never liked that name, so they insist on calling me by it.  **You call me that and you'll regret it."**

   Jack came a step closer, forcing her to raise her head in order to maintain eye contact.  Her eyes became wary behind her spectacles, as with a grin Jack almost purred, "What makes you think I would regret it, _Winifred?"  His tone implied he was speaking about more than just saying her name._

   Her eyes narrowed, "Elizabeth burned your rum to save both your lives, _Captain."  At this reminder, Jack's eyes also narrowed.  "What I would do would be ever so much more creative.  I have three older brothers – I know all about pulling pranks and about how to defend myself."  To prove her statement, Winn's booted foot came down on Jack's at the same time as her nails sank into the tender flesh of the pirate's wrist.  Sparrow's sword clattered to the deck as he grabbed his foot.  Winn made no move to pick it up as she waited for the slightly injured Sparrow to recompose himself._

_What kind of woman would be caught dead in sea-boots,_ wondered Jack as he took his time straightening from his crouch.  Even more bewildering was the question – what kind of woman attacks an armed pirate, or even treats one with indifference, for that matter.  _Although when all is said and done, a bruised foot is slightly better than a slap in the face,_ thought Jack with a slight grimace.

   "That was fair foolish, missy."  Jack looked up to see that a member of his crew had come to his aid.  Winn stood deathly still as one Joshua White held a knife to her throat, ready to slit it at Jack's earliest convenience.  While her face was pale, Winn's eyes were as steady as ever as she watched the pirate captain rise to his full height.  Almost daring him to give the order to kill her, she said, "You might want to retrieve your sword, Captain.  I hear there are dangerous criminals onboard."

   Rolling his eyes, the _Pearl's_ captain responded, "Luv, didn't anyone ever teach you to hold your tongue when your life is being threatened?  Or are you just too naïve to believe that I might have you killed for that little stunt?"  Jack had no intention of actually harming the girl, he just wanted to see what was going on behind those glasses which were still perched upon her nose, albeit precariously.

   "I was taught that pirates are like dogs in some aspects –"  At this the knife at her throat darted in to raise a welt across her windpipe.  She gasped, as if astonished that someone would dare harm her.  Then, before Jack could lift hand or voice to rebuke White, she threw her head back, jammed an elbow into her captor's diaphragm, and brought a booted foot crashing down on White's instep.  Jack winced in silent pity at the crack of broken bones that followed the young pirate to the deck as he fell, trying to breathe through what appeared to be a broken nose and a thorough winding.

   Sparrow made a mental note to talk to the man later as he stooped to pick up his sword.  He waited for the young woman before him to compose herself before asking, "What was it you were saying?"

   Surprise flickered in Winn's eyes.  Was there to be no reprimand for striking at the captain and maiming a member of his crew?  Her eyes followed Jack's actions as he slide his blade into its sheath.  Rubbing her throat, she murmured, "Umm . . . I was saying that pirates, like dogs, can smell fear.  Although I don't entirely believe Grandfather when it comes to that. . ." she trailed off.

   Winn was off balance, unsure of what to expect.  The pirates she knew would have backhanded any man for the way she was acting towards this one.  True, they tended to have a fairly strange moral code when it came to women, but this man's tolerance was almost unheard of.  Even Grandfather would be bellowing to wake the dead by this point.

   Watching him through cautious eyes, she brought her hand away from her neck to check for blood.  Sure enough, there was a faint smear giving a reddish tint to the skin of her palm.

   So caught up in her thoughts was she, that she missed the look in the Captain's eyes as he observed her.  Not that seeing it would have helped her much; Captain Sparrow was a man used to keeping his thoughts to himself, as much as it might have seemed otherwise.  At this particular point in time, he was wondering just what his next move was going to be.

   Winn, still studying her palm as if it could tell her what to do next, took an alarmed step back when the pirate captain reached for her chin.  Ruefully she thought, _So much for not showing fear._

   "Hold still, will ye?  I won't bite unless you ask me to, Winnie."  Winn's eyes darted up from Jack's outstretched hand to his face.  The leer he had pasted on was almost comical; the same one that the old salts on her Grandfather's estate wore when she stopped to talk to them.  She unconsciously relaxed slightly at the familiarity of the expression.

   "I don't believe I like the name 'Winnie' anymore than I like 'Winifred.'" Once again Jack advanced on her, although this time she resolutely held her ground.  When the man's hands started to circle her neck, she continued as much to distract him as to take her mind off the feel of his hands on her skin – it was an unsettling feeling. "If you could restrain yourself from using such unsuitable nicknames, I would be much obliged, Captain."  After making this request, she remained silent as the pirate studied her wound.

   "We'll have to get that cleaned up when we return to the _Pearl._"  At this Winn did react.  She jerked out of his hold, fixing her deadliest glare upon the grinning brigand in front of her.

   "I don't believe that I wish to do any such thing, Captain," Winn stated with as much dignity and authority as she could muster.  "Moreover, I believe that we have adequate supplies on the _Kestrel to tend to a scratch.  I'm afraid that you'll be returning to your ship without me."_

   Once more Jack started walking towards Winn, who was starting to resemble a cornered animal.  "It's me that should be apologizing, luv, for I really must insist that you accompany us.  Just think how I would feel if a wound you received from the hands of my crew turned putrid.  I'd never forgive myself."  Winn gave an unladylike snort of disbelief.  "You wouldn't want me to feel guilty 'til the end of my days, would you Winnie?"  At this, his hand reached out and grabbed Winn's arm above the elbow.  She knew immediately that trying to free herself from _this grip would win her humiliation instead of freedom, so she went along with the man._

   "I hardly believe that a scratch can make you feel what years of piracy, thievery, and deception have not," she replied in an icy voice as Captain Sparrow "escorted" her down the stairs to the main deck.

   "You don't believe in much, do you luv?"  Jack let her lose once they were off the stairs.

   Winn whirled around to face him.  "I _believe in staying on my ship."_

   "Staying on your ship isn't going to do you much good lass.  After all, a ship can't sail without its sails, now can it?"

   "What?"  Far from being defeated, Winn Morgan drew herself up, her eyes flashing.  "You can't just leave my men stranded in the middle of the ocean without any sails!  You would be condemning them to a slow death, unless another ship came along to tow them, which is unlikely in this part of the ocean."

   "Your men have sweeps with which they can make their merry way to Antigua.  It will only take them a week or so, and they have more than enough provisions to that them that long.  Stop whimperin' and acquiesce gracefully, luv."

   The look she gave him made him think she'd rather see him to the bottom of the ocean first.  Still glaring, she said, "Fine, if you insist.  However, I will tell you that my grandfather will not be pleased when he hears of this.  Remember that, should you ever have enough sense to rue this."  With that last pronouncement, she allowed herself to be shown to the plank running over the thin strip of water that separated the _Kestrel_ and the _Pearl_.

   Declining any assistance from Jack (with whom she was not well pleased, to be mild), she walked crossed the plank with all the dignity of a dethroned queen.  Jack was just a beat behind her as she stepped foot onto the deck of the _Black Pearl_.  Trying to hide his amusement, and not particularly caring as he failed, Jack once again took her arm in a firm grip and guided her to his cabin.  Opening the doors, he waited for her to step inside.  Understandably, she hesitated on the threshold once she realized that the room in front of her must be the captain's quarters.  She turned to protest this latest inconvenience, but Jack was a step ahead of her.

   "Don't start thinking like that, lass."  His voice was almost kind, but his smirk ruined the effect.  "I just need somewhere to stow you until I've taken care of matters aboard your ship.  This would be it, unless you truly prefer the brig.  I must warn you though, there's a bit of a leak below decks that we still haven't been able to locate.  Now, if you'd step inside and allow me to get on with my work –"

   With the look of the highly annoyed, Winn did as she was bid.  The doors closed behind her, and as she looked around the room in the dim light, she wondered what she was going to do now.


	3. Interlude

Disclaimer:  Still don't own them, though after the amount of times that I've gone and seen it, you'd think the least Disney could do is send me a thank you card.  grin

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Winn Morgan was a stick of girl, and a short stick at that.  She stood at a lofty height of 5'4", and with her distinct lack of feminine curves, she resembled a girl of 16 rather than an old maid of 26.

   Her dark hair had been called black and brown alike, and indeed, in the dark it did appear to be black (as do most other things).  It was long and straight, and unusually controllable.  That is, as long as the occasion did not call for curls, in which case her smooth locks would stay coiled for a moment or two before once again settling into their customary vertical straightness.  For the most part, Winn kept her hair pinned in a neat knot at the nape of her neck and longed for the day when she would work up the courage to chop it all off.

   Her eyes were possibly her only attractive attribute – they were a clear blue, rimmed in green.  However, she preferred to hide them behind brass-rimmed specs, and the brows they we set under (as well as the nose set between them) were too straight to be called anything other than uncompromising.  Her mouth may have been called pleasant, but she opened it to speak her mind far too often for men to become infatuated with it.

   Then there was her manner, her attitude.  Her neighbors in England had avoided her because of it; the inhabitants of the isle where she now lived were known to say, "Hair as black as a Caribbean night, eyes as blue as the changing sea, and a heart as cold as the ocean depths."  This was a bit of an exaggeration, seeing as how Winn's hair was really just a confused shade of brown.  Her heart, well . . . that she kept guarded.  If an icy demeanor is what it took to fend off hurt, then so be it.  It was a price she was willing to pay.  Her heart, like her past, she was prepared to keep to herself.

   But now, standing in the empty quarters of a pirate captain, listening to the door being secured against her need to explore the rest of the ship, Winn wondered what she had ever done to end up in this position.  _Surely ransom is what Captain Sparrow has in mind, she thought, _especially after the disappointing haul they've gotten from the _Kestrel.  _No one in their right mind would be interested in anything else from me, unless they_ **_like_**__ boys.  She grimaced.  Such things were not unheard of aboard ship.  __Sparrow is the one I have to worry about, however.  _

   Thinking these encouraging thoughts, Winn wandered over to the large windows this cabin boasted.  Watching the sea swirl past, half hidden in an early evening fog, she took a seat at the window, prepared to wait for the return of the _Pearl's_ captain and the unveiling of her immediate fate.  Quietly she sang under her breath, "Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me . . ."

Jack Sparrow spent a moment surveying his handiwork on the doors to his cabin.  A piece of nearby rope and a few experienced twists were enough to ensure that his reluctant guest would be going nowhere in the near future.  Past that immediacy, he had not yet planned.

   The _Black Pearl had had a lucrative run in the past few months, so a ransom would be more for appearance's sake than for any real need for money.  Another option would be to deliver her to Port Royal himself – it had been awhile since the crew had seen anything like a real fight.  But Norrington was still holding a grudge over that whole "escape" thing – this time the Commodore would be more cautious and undoubtedly even more prepared for an encounter with the _Pearl_.  It was also possible that Jack could just drop Winn off by the next inhabited island to make her own way to Port Royal, but that didn't seem nearly as much fun as any of his other choices._

   Ahh well, he had time and more to decide just what he was going to do on that front.  The _Kestrel_, however, was a current difficulty, one that still needed to be dealt with.  Turning his back on his quarters and their quarantined guest, he returned to the beleaguered _Kestrel._

   Once again crossing the gangway between the two ships (Jack tried to avoid ropes when possible – he didn't have much luck with them), Jack called out to Gibbs, "What have ye got these gobs doing?  Resting their toesies when there's work to be done?  Get aloft ye scabs!  I want those sails in our hold before the hour is out."  Confident that Gibbs would carry out his orders whether he understood them or not, Jack circulated amongst his crew, looking for two more people.

   One he found quickly. Ana Maria, being the only woman in his crew, was somewhat easy to spot in a crowd.  "Ana Maria, luv, why don'cha take a man or two and get a few things for our new guest.  Whatever you think a woman might need for a few days."

   Ana Maria, used to such epithets and obscure orders, raised an eyebrow at her captain.  "So, you're really going to keep the girl on board Jack?  Are you sure that's wise?  The last well-bred miss you brought on board to ransom spent the entire week weeping and fainting.  By the end of it she was too exhausted but do anything but snore, and you were too drunk to do anything but the same."

   Jack cringed at the memory.  "Lady Patience my arse.  The only thing she ever waited for was a convenient moment to collapse. That woman was a bloody nuisance.  She kept me clear of women for two months.  Women _and rum.  Do you know how much I regret that little venture?"_

   "Aye capt'n, you've mentioned it before.  That's why I want to know whether you're really set to this."

   Jack was silent for a moment, a rare moment of public contemplative thought.  At last he replied, "No, the lady Winn doesn't seem like the type to go faintin' anytime someone looks at her cross-eyed.  She's more likely to heap revenge on the head of the poor man who crosses her."

  "Capt'n?  Aren't _you_ the poor man who's crossed her recently?"  Ana Maria pointed this out in a sardonic voice.

Jack wandered away from Ana Maria thinking about the point she had just so effectively scored.  _What I need to do, he thought, __is manage to keep Winn off balance until I know what I'm going to do with her.  It's seemed to work so far.  I just wish I knew what I was doing to keep her that way._

   As he was walking and ruminating on an off-balance "Winnie," Jack remembered the incident with young White.  Changing course half-way across the deck, Sparrow headed towards where Gibbs was directing the crew in taking down (and generally absconding with) the _Kestrel's sails.  "Gibbs!  Where's young master White?"_

   "He's back aboard the _Pearl_, Capt'n.  Seems his nose was broken in that little tussle earlier."  Gibbs went on, a look of disgust on his face.  "He whined so much that I was ready to toss him overboard m'self if it would stop his bellyachin'.  Instead, I made him leave before another crewman took it into his head to shoot the lad for openin' his trap."

  If nothing else up to now (youthful exuberance, partial incompetence, an all-to-general superiority complex, threatening an unarmed maid more than "just a little," etc.) had proved to Jack that White was unsuitable for the life of a pirate, then this was the evidence he needed.  A crewman who was incompetent could be taught how things were done.  One that didn't take orders could be "persuaded" to do so.  The Pirate's Code could be beat into one's head.  However, no captain could spare the time it would take to put a spine in a jellyfish.  "Mr. Gibbs, please tell White that he is strongly encouraged to spend the remainder of our trip in his bunk, and that he'd best start thinking of finding a new occupation."

The _Black Pearl's_ crew was good to their orders.  Less than an hour after Winn had been escorted off her ship, the _Kestrel was sail-less.  Her masts and assorted rigging stood against the setting sun like shadows thrown by a candle's flame.  Looking out the window of her chosen perch, Winn noted how much smaller and more delicate her ship looked without the wind filling the canvasses._

   All the pirates were back on board now.  She could hear their shouts, feel the surface underneath her start to gently pitch with the unmistakable motion of a live ship.  She watched as Captain Riley addressed his crew in much the same way that Captain Sparrow had earlier.  She knew now that she truly was to be on the _Pearl_ for an undefined amount of time.  For a moment or two that afternoon, a part of her had been foolish enough to hope otherwise.

   She turned to that part of herself now and ruthlessly crushed it beneath the heel of reality.  It was much better to be practical than to have hopes and dreams that could be exploited by others.  It was even better to be completely emotionless - to give adversaries no grip on her at all - but she knew better than to attempt or expect that.

   With a sigh, Winn rested her head against the glass of the window.  Her ship was already starting to shrink with distance.  Having nothing else to do she closed her eyes against the reddish light of the setting sun, and settled to sleep.

Jack left his position at the helm to Cotton (the man, tongue or no, knew how to sail a ship) and walked to the quarterdeck, swaying with the motion of the ship beneath him.  What looked like a stagger on dry land was revealed to be a permanent case of sea-legs.

   When he had made it half-way across the deck, a shout caught his attention.  "Capt'n!  You'd better come see to this," Ana Maria called.

   Changing his heading (as pirate captains do instead of getting sidetracked), Jack went to her.  Ana Maria was standing next to a rather large and battered sea-chest.  Its lid was closed, keeping its contents a secret.  "What's all this?" asked Jack.

   "This is what your lady friend was traveling with," she replied.  Before Jack could correct her, she continued, "I had Bill and Black John haul her stuff over."

   "Is this all they brought for the lass?"  Jack looked at the trunk doubtfully.  Most ladies traveled with up to a dozen trunks for a single voyage.  Yes, Winn was odd, but this was highly unlikely.

   "This," Ana Maria said gesturing to the trunk, "is all she had with her."  Ana Maria watched with amusement as Jack's eyebrows inched up to be nearly hidden by his bandana.

  _Winnie certainly is full of surprises.  The captain wondered what other surprises the girl had up her sleeves with a mixture of anticipation and chagrin.  While puzzles were all good and fun, they more often than not ended up distracting you at inconvenient times._

   Focusing back in on his companion, Jack made an effusive gesture with his arms.  "Well, what are we waiting for, luv?"  Ana Maria rolled her eyes.  "Open her up.  Let's see what milady Winifred travels with."  With that, the lid was indeed lifted.

   Inside the trunk they found a quite unusual assortment of objects.  On top were several changes of clothes; full-legged breeches, ladies shirtwaists, elongated waistcoats, fingerless gloves in black and brown leather, stockings, a spare pair of sea-boots.  All were of fine quality, to be sure, but they weren't exactly the dresses that they were expecting.

   Underneath all those clothes was a layer of less innocent items.  A brace of throwing knives, a sword in a well-worn scabbard, a pistol with enough shot and powder for several discharges, an empty sheath for a hideout knife.  "Well, she's certainly ready for trouble," Jack mused aloud.

   "Yes, so why didn't she fight when the ship was boarded?"  Ana Maria's question was a good one.  Jack was considering a reply when a box caught his eye.  To be more precise, it was actually a wooden case embossed with the insignia of a well-known sugar plantation.  A plantation that was as well known for its high quality rum as for its sugar.

   "Well, well, well.  What is dear Winnie doing with a bottle of rum that costs more than all her quality clothes put together?  I think I shall have to confiscate it until I have a suitable answer to that question."  Ana Maria gave Jack a look that said, _yeah right._

   "What about the weapons, _Captain_ Sparrow?  Shouldn't something be done about them?"

   At this, Jack looked at Ana Maria thinking, _She's in rare form today._  Picking a dagger up, Jack said to her, "I think that we should hold on to these until our guest is acclimated to bein' here."  Word was good as deed, and soon the utensils of warfare, as well as the rum, were spirited away.

   Continuing on in their investigation (it _was_ a rather large sea-chest), the two cohorts found more mundane items than those they last uncovered.  There was a sketch book and charcoal, a leather-bound journal, an alto recorder (of all things), and several books.  Underneath all of that was the trunk's wooden bottom.

   Picking the sketchbook up out of the chest, Jack told Ana Maria, "Have one of the boys take this to my cabin.  Then send Leech down with some food to check on the girl's cut."  With that, the man walked off to study Winn's sketches, hoping to gain enough insight into the woman to come up with a plan of action.

The doors to the captain's cabin swung open so silently that Winn had no warning when two crewmen dropped her chest in the middle of the room.  The thump of its impact woke her from her doze just in time to see them exit as another pirate come in.

   She was surprised to see that wasn't the captain as she had expected, but a grimy sea-dog instead.  _Not that Captain Sparrow isn't plenty grimy himself, she thought.  __And this one isn't too bad as pirates go.  She stayed perfectly still watching the man approach her position by the window._

   The man who was called Leech for his surprisingly will developed medical skills, grinned when he saw the wary faced young woman.  "Well lassie, I be Leech."  He had a hint of Scottish brogue in his voice.  If the lilting effect almost made Winn relax her guard, then his next words cured her of any inclination to do so.  "The Capt'n sent me down to see to ye, and to tend to yer wound."  Winn noticed the tray the man carried for the first time since he had entered.  Still, she wasn't ready to let down her shield of indifferent belligerence.

   "Please tell Captain Sparrow that I thank him for his concern, but his worries are unfounded.  I would be ever so grateful if he could drop me by the nearest port."  The ice of her words just slid off the elderly Scotsman.  He just smiled at her as if he knew something that she didn't.

   "Well, if that isn't the way of it then . . ." he trailed off.  Collecting himself with a shake, Leech said with good humor, "You should eat something if you plan on doin' battle with the Capt'n."  With those final words of advice, Leech left the cabin, leaving the tray of food along with a roll of bandages and a jar of salve on a nearby table.

   Winn sat at her window for another moment, staring blankly into the empty cabin.  Gathering her thoughts after some time, she finally noticed her trunk had been deposited in the room.  _Oh, get me out of these blasted **skirts**_, she thought as she got up.  Walking over to the trunk, shedding her dress and petticoats as she went, she knelt down on the slightly dirty floor and opened the lid.

   Someone had gone through her belongings!  _Right, someone.  As if I don't know who did this.  Half-way though her fit of pique, she remembered her weapons.  Ruffling though her belongs as had been done not too much earlier, she searched for her gun, knives, and sword, but to no avail.  They were indeed gone, as was the bottle of her middle brother's rum that she had gotten as a joke for Will and Elizabeth's wedding present.  She picked up the empty sheath to her hideout knife which was for some reason still in the chest – the knife itself was down her boot-top.  __Those . . . **That** . . . ohh . . .!  Bloody **pirate!  "Bloody, bloody, **__dirty, self-serving, illiterate, bast –"_


	4. Discovery & Discussions

**Disclaimer:**  Still not mine.  Should anyone tell you otherwise, run from them screaming bloody murder since they must be a raving lunatic.

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**Last Posted:**

   Someone had gone through her belongings!  _Right, someone.  As if I don't know who did this.  Half-way though her fit of pique, she remembered her weapons.  Ruffling though her belongs as had been done not too much earlier, she searched for her gun, knives, and sword, but to no avail.  They were indeed gone, as was the bottle of her middle brother's rum that she had gotten as a joke for Will and Elizabeth's wedding present.  She picked up the empty sheath to her hideout knife which was for some reason still in the chest – the knife itself was down her boot-top.  __Those . . . **That** . . . ohh . . .!  Bloody **pirate!  "Bloody, bloody, **__dirty, self-serving, illiterate, bast –"_

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Captain Jack Sparrow was glad to be back on his ship again.  While bar hopping in places like Tortuga and raiding other ships was all fine and good, there was nothing like being on one's own ship.  The _Pearl, as Jack had told Elizabeth, was indeed more than sails, and a deck, and a hull.  It was more then freedom even.  It was a home, a friend.  She had moods, a personality that was a part of him yet unaware of him.  It was difficult to explain without being drunk, when the explanation became incomprehensible rather than nearly impossible._

   However, the feeling that being on his ship was easy for him to explain to himself, if not to others.  He felt secure on the _Black Pearl.  Secure enough to challenge a cursed pirate captain in his den, or to merely riffle through another's personal belongings.  Not that he ever had qualms about doing such a thing.  He was a pirate after all._

   With Winn's sketch book in hand, Jack made his way to his favorite part of the ship.  Not to the helm as might be expected, or to his quarters, which were too enclosed (not to mention crowded) at the moment.  Instead, he headed towards the prow where he could feel the wind behind him and the spray of the sea in front of him, much in the same way his beloved ship did.  Settling down in a position that remarkably resembled the position that he had found Winn in aboard the _Kestrel, Jack opened the book._

   Picture, upon picture, upon picture met his eyes.  Some were simple sketches.  Most were dated, while others merely had titles.  All were in black and white, yet they somehow conveyed a sense of color.

   Most numerous were the sketches of eyes. They ran in a slash across the pages, portraits that were from brow to cheekbone.  The eyes of ancient seamen with their permanent squints; of children on the brink of sleep.  Firelit eyes, mischievous eyes, eyes with tear tacks.  And a single pair of eyes filled with pain and despair, as if the owner had recently lost something of great value.

   Then there were other, more complete pictures.  Seascapes and landscapes.  Of quiet pools, and plants trailing in running water.  Pictures of children running and playing, of laughing men and women; of an old woman with wise eyes, and of two people – a child and adolescent.  It those last two in particular that caught Jack's attention.

   The old woman's eyes, while they held wisdom, they also held a different type of knowledge.  It was the knowledge that came from the admission of one's imminent death.  Not the shock of someone who had been mortally wounded in a fight, or the glazed look that came from pain and blood loss, but something different.  This expression held the secrets of life and death if only one could hear its whispering.  Still looking at the page, Jack realized one other thing that made the picture so arresting – he had seen those eyes before.  They were Winn's eyes in another's face.

   Somewhat unnerved by the expression that had been captured on the paper, and the eyes similarity to those of his perturbed guest, Jack moved his gaze to the second picture – the one of the two girls.  The girl in the foreground was young, perhaps ten or so.  She was playing croquet with an overly large mallet in a proper English garden.  A group of adults wearing daytime finery were gathered nearby talking amongst themselves.  The sun shone brightly where the girl stood, glistening in her perfect curls and catching in the beadwork on her dress.

   The second girl was some years older than the first, though an age was difficult to pinpoint.  Where the younger girl stood out (she almost glowed on the page), this one stayed nearly hidden in the shadowy background.  It was only with his remarkable eyesight that Jack picked her out at all.  She was of indistinct height, painfully plain (what could be seen of her), and communicated a feeling of awkwardness to all who gazed upon her.  She stood behind the group of adults, in the shade of a willow, her head half cocked to one side as if she were trying to catch a sound that was rapidly fading.  A stray ray of sunlight caught on the rim of the girl's glasses.  Turning the page, Jack found a simple inscription, "Elizabeth, age nine, plays croquet a week before we leave for the Caribbean."

   _Interesting, Jack thought before continuing on in the book._

   Perhaps an hour passed before Jack decided to go see his guest.  When he opened the doors of his cabin, he caught Winn in a rather surprising state of dishabille.  Normally, he wouldn't complain about walking in on a woman clothed only in her chemise, corset, and pantalets – however, having knives thrown at his head greatly diminished the experience.

"Bloody, bloody, _dirty_, self-serving, illiterate, bast –"

   "I didn't think ladies used such language.  If you're not careful, luv, you'll ruin all my beliefs about women."

   Startled, then furious at the pirate's presumption, Winn bent over and jerked her hideout knife out of her boot.  Quick as thought, she spun, throwing her knife in the same motion.

   Jack watched her out of steady eyes as it embedded itself in the door an inch or so from his head.  Not breaking eye contact with Winn, he reached up and removed the blade from the wood of the door.  He approached Winn and handed it back to the seething woman.  "I'll admit that's a useful trick, but I've seen it done better, Winnie.  You need to work on your aim."

   "What makes you think that I didn't hit what I was trying to, _Captain?  If I wanted you dead, you would be."  _

   The heat in her voice startled him.  Up 'til now, Winn had been relatively icy._  I suppose even ice can burn,_ thought Jack.  He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.  For one moment he thought she would spit in his face for the liberty.  Instead, the opposite happened – he watched as she tucked her fury away.  Before he could say "Davy Jones," Jack was staring into a human mask.  Such control sacred him on some level.  _What would it look like if that control should ever snap? _he idly wondered.

   Releasing his grip on her rather abruptly, Jack said in a calm voice, "I believe you.  Why didn't you let Leech take a look at your neck?"

   The sudden topic change confused Winn, throwing her off balance as it was intended to.  She sighed.  "Look, I don't want to be here.  I neither need nor want your help, and I certainly want nothing that will tie me to this ship.  All I want is to reach Port Royal in time for Elizabeth's wedding."  If Jack could dance around a topic, then she could rip it open just as easily.

   Uncovering the food tray, Jack picked up a banana and started unpeeling it.  Winn waited with smothered impatience, just barely containing the urge to start tapping her booted foot, as he finished his task.

   Once he was done, Jack said, "Well, you see Winnie, that's my problem.  You.  What you had with you in yonder trunk, the way you act, the way you don't – it all represents an enigma."  Jack, taking a bite from his banana, started to circle to her right.  Instead of standing still as he expected, she turned with him, seemingly unaware of her partially clothed state.  "Now, normally I try to avoid puzzles, and mysteries, and the like," he told her.   "They have a tendency to adversely affect a person's life span.  However, when said mystery is wrapped up in an appealing package such as your lovely self . . ."

   With an expression of disgust, Winn turned her back on the pirate and stalked towards her chest.  Once again throwing the lid open, she started to rip articles of clothing out.  Jack watched in amazement as Winn threw on clothes with barely concealed violence.  She donned a grey pair of those full legged breeches (they looked like a skirt when she stood still), a white shirt with sleeves that came to mid-forearm, and one of those tunic waistcoats in forest green.  Turning from the chest to Jack, she finished pulling on a pair of black leather fingerless gloves.  As she did this, Winn asked, "If we can now continue our conversation like mature adults?"

   Jack immediately agreed.  Winn's eyes narrowed at his instant concurrence as if she guessed he was trying to divert her focus.  Jack continued before she could think on that.  "The first thing we need to discuss are sleeping arrangements."  The frown in Winn's eyes grew darker.  "I hate to shock you, but I'm afraid I must insist on you sleeping here, Winnie."

   "Now see here, you –"  Apparently this had been the last straw for Winn.  Before she could really work herself into a temper that promised to be rather entertaining, Jack (regretfully) broke in.

   "Sorry to disappoint you, luv, but I won't be here.  I'll be on deck all night steering my ship.  You'll be free to stay here all night without the benefit of my charming company.  Come morning, I'll come in here to get some sleep, and you'll get to spend some time on deck under the watchful eyes of my crew.  Savvy?"

   Robbed of any _real reason to be upset, Winn just stood where she was, silently watching Jack as if she were trying to tell whether or not he was telling the truth.  __Wretch, she thought.  _That was your plan from the beginning.  I must remember that the man enjoys unsettling me, and stop falling for his lures.__

   "What's wrong, luv?  Trying to decide whether or not 'ole Jack is going to keep his word?  Don't you trust me, Winnie?"

  Winn snorted.  "First of all, I believe I asked you to stop calling me that.  Secondly, I trust you about as far as I can throw you.  You're a pirate, so not only are you dishonest, but you are most likely dishonestly clever.  And thirdly, I'm on to you, so you can stop trying to upset me every time you don't like the way a conversation is going.  Savvy?"  Winn imitated his use of the word.

   Eyes wide, Jack put a hand to his heart as if her words had mortally wounded him.  "Lass, I'm hurt!  Why ever would I want to distract the bulldoggish tenacity of your mind?  I'm sure that nothing less than a herd of wild elephants could pry you from your set purpose."

   "Don't get cute with me.  All it takes to 'pry me from my set purpose' is a boatload of pirates."  Winn was getting more irritated by the moment.

   "You think I'm cute?"  Jack leaned into her personal space, trying to intimidate her.  "Maybe there's hope for us after all."

   "Would you please stop this nonsense?"  Winn snapped as she took a step back.  She _hated standing so close to strangers._

   "What wrong, Winnie?  Am I getting under your skin?"  Jack's voice was low and rough as he came near her, his eyes dark and intense on hers.

   _This is ridiculous, thought Winn.  _The situation and the conversation have totally deteriorated to the point of outlandishness.  If he thinks that throwing innuendos around like water is really going to cow me . . . well, two can play **that** game.  This stops now.__

   She took a step towards Jack.  Going up on her toes, she placed her hands on his shoulders for balance. "Aye, you're gettin' under my skin, _Jack_," she whispered in his ear, "but so did the poison ivy I got when I was seven."  Setting her feet firmly on the ground and backing away from him once more, she looked him in the eye.  "The next time you try to distract me, Captain, I suggest you try something a bit more believable than trying to convince me that you're attracted to me."

   Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing.  It was a rare occasion indeed when he couldn't sweet talk a woman into doing what he wanted.  (Well, there was Elizabeth, but she was so taken with Will that Jack wasn't sure she recognized anything else as being male.)  _What just happened here, he wondered.  __I had her on the run, I was in control for a moment, then she pulled herself back together.  What does it take to truly upset this female?_

   While Jack stood still in a serious case of stupefaction, Winn turned her back, tucking away her uneasiness.  She had never really liked being touched, or touching others.  Yes, her family was one thing, and she _adored_ her nieces and nephews.  The occasional hug from a friend was nice, and she could handle shaking hands with acquaintances.  But being touched, or even having her space invaded by strangers made her positively jumpy.  _I can't let Sparrow know that,_ she thought,_ or I'll never get a moment's peace._  Having successfully composed herself, she turned back to the still silent pirate.  Raising an eyebrow Winn asked tartly, "What's the matter?  Cat got your tongue?"

   Jack, remaining silent, just looked at her steadily before allowing his eyes to roam over her body slowly.  She endured this as another one of Sparrow's intimidation tactics.  Once his eyes met hers again, he said, "No, but I think I just felt her claws."

   Closing her eyes and deciding that this was going nowhere fast, Winn walked back to her chest and pulled out a book.  Going to the window, she sat down once again and started to read.  After the silence in the room had gone on for several minutes she looked back up.  "Did you have something else to say, Captain?  If you don't I would appreciate it if you would leave.  The sun is down, and for most people that means that it's night.  I believe you said something about steering your ship?"

   "I believe that means we have an accord?"

   "Aye, Captain, for now we are in agreement that I will be doing nothing that even faintly resembles sharing your bed."  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Winn realized her mistake.  She cut Jack off before he could say anything.  "And I believe that will be the agreement for some time to come.  Good night, Captain Sparrow.  Please knock before entering this room again."  And with that she looked back down at her book.

   Jack still stood where she had left him.  "Am I to understand," he said, "that you are kicking me out of my own cabin?"

   "No, just reminding you of the terms of our agreement.  The terms you yourself set down.  Now, if you would be so kind as to leave?"  Winn, once again was ignoring him for the company of her book.

   Surprised and somehow pleased by her audacity, Jack did indeed leave the cabin, but not before Winn could ask, "Oh, and Captain, could you please tell me exactly _why the rum is gone?"_

Winn sat in the dark for several moments after Jack left.  Resting her head on her knees she waited for the nervous shivers to leave her body.  _How I hate talking to people I don't know.  I hate being here, I hate this tiny little cabin, and I **hate not having any options whatsoever.  I hate being ****helpless.**_  And helpless was what she was.  Normally, being on a pirate ship really didn't faze her at all.  But now she was alone on a pirate ship, one not manned by men chosen by her relatives, and she didn't dare reveal who she was for fear of her grandfather's reputation.  Yes, Jack Sparrow seemed to be a decent sort of pirate, but he was a pirate none the less, and pirates had the tendency to lie.

   When she had finally calmed down enough to focus on her book, she picked it back up.  Unfortunately, it was unable to catch or hold her interest.  Laying it back down on the surface below her, she recognized that she was in the mood to draw, not to read.

   Getting up once more, she went to her chest and started looking for her sketch book, visions of a severely injured Jack Sparrow coming to mind.  The thing was . . . well, she couldn't find her book.  Realization hit her, and hit her hard.  _No, he wouldn't.  He **can't have.**_  Those sketches were more than just lines on paper, more than perspective and shading – they were a part of her.  The only portrait she had of her father, the look in her mother's eyes when word came of his death, the picture of her grandmother on her deathbed.  All of them were precious and revealed more of her soul than she ever wanted to reveal to anyone.  Surely she had missed it in her first search.

   When a second search revealed her other two books, her journal, and her lack of sketches, Winn stood back up, anger erasing any thoughts of caution or control from her mind.  Jack Sparrow had just done something to ignite the temper she tried so hard to conceal, and nothing would quiet it until it had run its course.

   She quickly walked across the room to the cabin's double doors.  When a quiet investigation revealed that Captain Sparrow had forgotten to secure the doors behind him, she took a deep breath.  Letting it out, she slammed the doors wide open, and marched out onto the deck, an aura of frigid air enveloping her and a dangerous look in her eye.  Quickly locating the helm she saw the object of her fury.  Sure enough, there he was, sketchings in hand, with an innocent look on his face.  Her face was empty of any emotion as she walked up to the man and slapped him.  Hard.

   _"How dare you," she hissed.  She slapped him again, harder than she had the first time.  With the sound of her flesh stroking his, the barrier of ice that was the last check against her temper shattered completely  She had just enough time to grab her property out of his slack hands before several members of his crew came up to restrain her.  She managed to wrench one arm free of their grip, and with it she pulled her knife back out of her boot.  Winn threw it down at his feet before his crew once more restrained her.  Her eyes spat flames as she continued to talk._

   "You had no right," she accused with the breathlessness of anger.  "One of the rules of the sea is that you don't delve into a man's past unwanted – the past is all a man really has out here.  Just because you're a pirate doesn't mean that you can go around uncovering people's lives.  I tend to like mine being hidden, and I like to keep it that way.  The next time I catch you doing anything like this, you'd better be prepared to kill me with that, because I'll try to kill you without it."

   Pulling her knife from the wood, Jack observed her, his eyes more focused than many of his crew had ever seen them.  Winn was a mess, her coat of ice and dignity in shards around her feet, her hair falling out of its knot and tumbling around her face and shoulders.  Her glasses lay on the deck, and for the first time Jack saw her eyes clearly.  They were green with rage and pain, the blue all but consumed by her anger.  At the moment she reminded him of nothing so much as a wounded cat.

   Looking to his crew, Jack said quietly, "Let her go."  As soon as they did, she advanced on him again, ready to strike him for a third time.  Before she got the chance, Jack grabbed both her arms in the iron grip he usually reserved for guiding the _Pearl_ through tropical storms.  "Now see here, lass.  I understand you're vexed at what I did, but that's no excuse for challenging the captain on the deck of his ship, because now I have to deal with this the way I would deal with any other uprising."  Jack voice was low, quick, and deadly serious in her ears.  "I don't know about you, but –"

   "I know what the penalty is, _Captain_.  Dueling with swords to the first blood.  You know I carry a sword with me.  Do you think I'm so foolish as to carry one when I don't know how to use it?"  While her words sounded brave, Winn was thinking that she'd never manage to beat Sparrow in a duel.  While she was excellent at defense, her offense, as her grandfather had once said, was as weak as a two day old kitten.

   Examining her as if he could make her back down from what she had started, Jack said, "Fine."  Calling to his crew, Jack ordered, "Clear the main deck.  Gibbs!  Retrieve Mistress Winifred's sword from its storage place.  Cotton, take the helm."  Once again Jack looked to Winn – she was stone faced, her eyes still smoldering with temper and resentment.  Knowing he had no other choice, Jack declared before the whole crew, "Mistress Winn and I duel in twenty minutes."


	5. Crossing Words

**Disclaimer:  I do not own the line, " . . .and then they made me their chief." or any of the other amazing one liners in that movie.  Don't own the characters either, but that hasn't really stopped me from writing any of this.  : )**

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**Last Time:**

   Examining her as if he could make her back down from what she had started, Jack said, "Fine."  Calling to his crew, Jack ordered, "Clear the main deck.  Gibbs!  Retrieve Mistress Winifred's sword from its storage place.  Cotton, take the helm."  Once again Jack looked to Winn – she was stone faced, her eyes still smoldering with temper and resentment.  Knowing he had no other choice, Jack declared before the whole crew, "Mistress Winn and I duel in twenty minutes."

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Oddly enough, Jack and Winn walked back to the captain's quarters together after this pronouncement.  Winn was a step or two in front of Sparrow, her spine straight, her steps not quite rushed but quicker than usual.  Sparrow, for once, had dropped his somewhat demented demeanor in favor of the air of a man faced with a large problem.

   _Right, a large problem.  I'm just about to duel with a girl who looks like she weighs **maybe** 100 lbs. when wet.  Not only that, but I happen to be a decent swordsman._

Despite all his protestations to the contrary, Jack actually did have _some_ morals when it came to women.  Not a lot, but one or two.  Like not hitting a girl who slapped you (whether he deserved it or not), or not taking advantage of a drunk woman unless you were drunk too.  That sort of thing.

   Fighting one in a swordfight not only went against what morals he had, but it also went against common pirate sense.  Who took a pirate seriously when he spent his time dueling women?  _All this is going to do is humiliate her more when humiliation is what started this mess.  Why didn't I replace the blasted book before she noticed it was gone?_  It was too late for hindsight now though, unfortunately.  _Why did I even take her off her blasted boat?  Yes, she's amusing, but she's also a bloody inconvenience.  I need a drink._

   When they reached the cabin, Winn opened the door just enough for her to get through, leaving it to shut in Jack's face.  She headed back to her violated trunk and started pulling out items again, mainly a large number of cloth strips.  Removing her boots and stockings as Jack entered the room, she went about fastening her pant legs around her ankles.  The last thing she needed to do was catch her foot in her own clothes.  She refused to look up as Jack went over to a large cabinet and removed a bottle from it.

   Enjoying his sip of brandy (he only drank rum when he _really_ wanted to get drunk), Jack watched as Winn took all the remaining pins out of her tumbling mass of hair.  Placing them in a tin, she took another strip of fabric and tied her hair back out of her face.  

   During all the time she was doing this, Winn's temper started climbing again.  She knew there was only a very slim chance that she was going to be able to actually beat Jack.  She'd heard of his reputation, and she knew what she herself was capable of.  The best she could actually hope for was a draw.  But to have him come back here and start drinking like the confidant blackguard he was . . . it was too much.  _I hope you choke, she thought viciously._

   While Winn was entertaining herself with images of Jack falling overboard in a drunken stupor, Jack was enjoying the sight of her hair hanging down.  Loose, it reached her middle back.  He always enjoyed a female with hair longer than his.  _Wait, distraction, not an opportune moment.  Focus Jack, focus._

  Glancing at Jack, Winn seated herself on the floor and started stretching.  It had been weeks since she'd done any real sword-fighting.  The time in her life where she had used such skills everyday was past.  Closing her eyes, she touched her forehead to her right knee, trying to come up with some kind of strategy.  

   _Don't get distracted, she told herself__.  Sparrow likes to talk, and he'll undoubtedly do so as we're fighting.  Ignore it and remember what you're fighting over.  The man broke 'the Code.'  He should take it more seriously, everybody else does.  Switching legs, she sighed at the irony.  __Try to win quickly, it's unlikely you'll be able to after the first few parries._

   The minutes passed quickly, and soon Gibbs came to the cabin to inform the combatants that their battlefield was ready.

Light from torches held by the gathered crew fell in a circle, lighting the place where Jack and Winn were to fight.  Despite the fact that nearly the entire crew was gathered round to watch (and those who weren't, were stealing glances from up in the rigging), but Winn refused to be cowed.  _Where's that Morgan temper when I really need it, _she wondered._  Instead of getting me in trouble, it could help me get out of it for once._

   Winn held her sword in her hand, feeling its weight, checking its balance.  Jack was doing the same across from her.  Looking at Jack, Winn felt her temper rouse once again, like a wind fueling the last embers of a forest fire.  She felt her breathing speed up and shallow out as her focus narrowed to center in on the man before her.

   Gibbs watched as the two faced off, waiting only for the signal to start.  He had a bad feeling about this.  Women weren't meant to fight with men – it was unlucky.  True, Ana Maria had fought with them for the past year, but every woman this ship had encountered since then had been nothing but trouble, and this one in particular was worse than the rest.

   Jack, aware of what Gibbs must be thinking, smirked.  Winn, thinking he was smirking at her, felt her temper burst into full flower, though this time she was able to keep her head somewhat clear.  "Ready Captain?" The question came out more as a challenge than an enquiry.

   "Whenever you are, dear Winnie," he called back, and with that, the two opponents started circling each other.

   Winn knew that she needed to wait for Jack to make the first move, so she kept circling, waiting for his patience to run out.  "What's wrong, luv?  Changed your mind about fighting with a man?  Have you decided you're not up to the challenge?"

   Winn took his comments and stored the anger they caused for future use.  She knew she'd be working off emotions in this fight; there was no chance her opponent would temper his strength for her.  "Just waiting to see whether there will be a challenge or not, Captain.  I've yet to see proof of any such thing.  They say that you're a mean hand with a sword, but I'm not so sure about that.  Are you sure you don't just talk your rivals into exhaustion?"  While her voice was cold, her eyes were once again filled with fire.  They goaded him, asking whether or not he could really do this.

  Jack's eyes narrowed.  "So it's proof you be wantin' my lass?  Fine, then its proof I'll give you."  Almost quicker than her eyes could follow, Jack struck.  Whipping her blade up to meet his, Winn felt the crash of the collision all the way down her arm.  Parrying the attack, she tried one of her own.  It was easily met by Sparrow, who was grinning rather savagely.  "Is that all you've got, Winnie?  Seems I overestimated you.  I thought you'd at least be able to entertain me for more than a minute or two."

   Ignoring his jibe, Winn went back to circling, her leather shod hands tightening round the hilt of her weapon.  _Come on, give me more than that, she thought._

   The two circled for several minutes, each testing the other's strength and speed.  Feeling that he finally had her measure, Jack began his attack in earnest.  But if he was determined to bring this to an end quickly and with the least amount of blood, then Winn was even more determined to draw this out for as long as possible.  She had discovered after parrying his first few thrusts, that there was no way that she was going to be able to beat the captain unless he became overconfident, so she continued blocking his attacks and mounting few offences of her own.

   This went on for quite some time.  One by one several torches were replaced, and still they fought.  After forty-five minutes or so, Winn finally faltered.  Jack took advantage, a twitch of his wrist knocking her sword from her hands.  As it flew to land several feet away from her, he pressed his advantage, stepping close and bringing the point of his sword to Winn's neck.  

   For the second time that day, Winn found herself at the wrong end of a pirate's blade.  This just made her madder.  Without anyone noticing, she let the hairpin she had stored in her glove slip into her fingers.  When she tensed, Jack expected it was because she had just lost.

   "Do you yield?"  _Please, he thought,_ I'm giving you a way out of this.  Don't make me add to the collection of cuts on your neck._  By the look of her gaze, he knew it was a rather pointless hope._

   "_Never," she hissed, panting to regain her breath.  As Jack's arm darted forward to score her skin for the second time in a six hour period, Winn brought her own arm up.  At the same time Jack scratched her, making her bleed, Winn jabbed him with her hairpin.  Cursing, Jack dropped his sword, a hand going to his arm. When he removed it, he saw a tiny spot of blood marring the white of his shirt.  _

   Incredulous, he met Winn's eyes for what would be the final time that night.  Smirking, she said, "I believe that makes this a draw, Captain."

   "But you just cheated."  He stated this as if he thought she would actually care.

   "No I didn't.  Neither one of us actually set a condition that swords were the only weapon that could be used.  It's not my fault you thought I'd confine myself to a single weapon."

   Jack slowly grinned, and it was not one spurred by amusement.  This time when he invaded her personal space, Winn stood absolutely still; he had a dangerous feel about him.  She could tell his blood was still pumping from the fight, as was hers.

   "You've made me drop my sword twice now, Winnie.  Don't count on it happin' again."  His voice was for her ears only, the threat in it clearly having two meanings.  "Next time you attempt to upset me, I'll take you on, and I'll show no mercy.  Savvy?"

   Chest still heaving from the exertion of the fight and from the flow of anger through her veins, Winn spat, "We'll see, Captain.  Good night."

   Wheeling around, she fled the deck without even retrieving her sword.

The next few days passed with Winn avoiding Jack whenever possible and with Jack "observing" Winn any time he had the chance.  Despite Winn's careful planning to steer clear of the captain, he usually made it a point to seek her out at least once a day. Winn would say he did it just to annoy her.  Jack would have said that he was collecting information in order to decide what to do with his captive.  Whatever the reason, these meetings usually ended with Winn letting the grip on her temper slide, and with Jack swaggering away.

   Winn spent her days under the watchful eyes of Gibbs and Ana Maria.  While they didn't hover, she could feel their eyes on her no matter where she went, and the list of places she was allowed to go was rather short.  Most of the time, it appeared she was reading or drawing in her recovered sketch book.  However, we all know how looks can be deceiving; she spent a majority of her days thinking.

_   I can't believe I let my temper go like that, _she thought on her fifth day aboard the_ Black Pearl.  She sat drawing a particularly interesting cloud formation, something that was relatively easy to do while letting her mind wander at the same time.  _How embarrassing.  So much for not "goading the man into actions he otherwise would not have taken."  So much for a calm icy demeanor, so much for not showing weaknesses through emotion.__

   Leaning her head back against the barrel she was using as a back rest, Winn studied the formation she was sketching.  It had changed too much to really help her; she'd have to finish the rest from memory.  _Not that that's a challenge.  Shifting her gaze to where sky met sea, she studied the blending of blues on the horizon.  __Funny how they turn grey at their conjunction, she thought.  __I wonder if I could manage to do that when I get home – catch that particular color.  It'd be nice to try._

   She closed her eyes.

_   "You've made me drop my sword twice now, Winnie.  Don't count on it happin' again."_  Memory was a wretched thing.  The fight was five days behind her now.  Why couldn't she get those words out of her head?  _My fault, _she thought._  I instigated it.  He brought an end to it.  My fault I revealed too much of myself, that I exposed secrets, that I let him get to me.  My fault, my fault, my fau – a shadow falling across her face interrupted her.  She didn't bother opening her eyes.  Why take the trouble when she already knew who it was?  Besides, it annoyed Captain Sparrow when she ignored him._

   When the shadow on her face proved to be too stubborn to ignore forever, Winn drawled in a sleepy voice, "For a man who claims to sleep during the day, you're certainly around a lot to pester me."

   "What?  Do my ears deceive me?  Has the lovely lady Winifred actually been avoiding me?  Here I thought she just got lost on a ship this size."

   "Your ship isn't that big," Winn said tartly, "and I've only been _trying to avoid you.  I haven't been all that successful as of yet."  In the silence that followed that statement, Winn heard a sound that was music to her ears – the raucous sound of seagulls.  _We're near land.__

   "Sounds like we're nearing a port, Captain.  May it be that God has blessed me, and you're here to say that you'll be dropping me off in something that resembles civilization at your next opportunity?"

   "'Fraid not, luv.  That port we're nearing is Tortuga.  I have a crewman to drop off and replace before we venture any farther.  Some of us will be going ashore tomorrow."

   "Hmm."  Although Winn was doing her best to seem uninterested, she was thinking, _Tortuga.  What a ridiculous name.  Who names an island after a turtle?_  She nearly chuckled out loud, except she didn't want Sparrow to think he was amusing her.  _Wait, I've heard that name recently,_ she thought.  Scanning memories, she tried to find the one that was relevant at this time.

_   "Aye, the _Kingfisher_ makes port in Tortuga several times a year.  In fact, it's a good place to shop, what with all the stolen merchandise.  I'll probably drop anchor there before heading to Port Royal."  Of course!  Her eldest brother Ryan, an English privateer, had mentioned stopping there before the wedding.  With any luck, he would be there when they sailed in the next day.  _And I can get away from this accursed ship,_ she thought._

   "I'm sure that's all very interesting to you, Captain, but I am trying to catch up on my sleep, so if you wouldn't mind finding someone else to disturb?"

   Instead of leaving, Jack leaned on a nearby rail.  "You are a lazy one.  You surprise me, Winnie.  Here I am, giving you free reign of my cabin at night to sleep, and then you sleep through the day.  You'd never make it as a pirate, luv."

   "You might be surprised, Captain.  As to the matter of my nights, I use the time to read and to think, since I get a remarkably small amount of such things done during the day."

   "I'm sure we could find other, more _amusing_, was of spending your night hours, Winnie."  Jack watched her face intently and was not disappointed when Winn opened her eyes to glare at him.

   "I'm certain that I have no idea what you are implying, Captain Sparrow.  It would be rather difficult to . . . entertain . . . one another when I am in a closed room, and you are on deck steering your ship.  And as that is a situation that is unlikely to change tonight, I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until you've reached land before finding a woman willing to relieve your boredom."  Having said that, Winn closed her eyes and willed Jack to leave her be.

The pirate left Winn as he had found her, thinking to himself, _Why didn't I toss those blasted spectacles overboard when I had the chance.  Might as well look out at sea for all the good trying to see through those things does me._  He had learned long ago that people were easier to read when they had no defenses, and those bloody glasses were Winn's most consistent and effective shield.

   Jack had decided days ago that he was just going to deliver Winn to Port Royal himself.  Might as well, since he was curious to see Will and Elizabeth get hitched.  Having never attended a wedding himself, he wanted to see what went on at one, though he was suspicious it involved crying ladies and a teary-eyed groom.  But on the up side, he did know that there would be drinks afterwards.  Maybe not as much as would be at a pirate wedding (which were considered valid only on the sea by other pirates, and were made up of a pirate captain giving his blessing with everyone getting drunk afterwards), but there should be enough to wipe out the memory of blubbering matrons.

   _But first, Tortuga.  I wonder if Scarlet is still speaking to me._

Winn was actually asleep when Jack burst into the cabin the next morning.  Not being a morning person herself, Winn was groping for her dagger to mercifully dispatch whoever was waking her at such an ungodly hour when she heard Jack say, "Don't bother getting up, luv.  I just came in to grab a spare pistol before I shove off."

   "Ughn . . . Shut  . . . the bloody door  . . . behind you."  Winn's voice, rough with sleep, grabbed Jack's attention immediately.  It sounded as if she had spent the night muffling screams.  

   _That's a lovely thought, Jack thought to himself_.  Too bad I'll never get the chance to hear such a thing from her. _ Out loud, he said, "Is that all the good-bye I get?  Not even a 'Jack, the hours 'til sundown will seem endless without your enthralling presence in my life?'"_

   "I'd rather you not come back until after sundown – it would make it ever so much easier to escape."  Winn was slowly waking up, blast the man.  She had been dreaming that she was already gone from here.

   At the mention of escape, Jack turned to Winn, a serious look in his eyes for once.  "Don't even be considering such a thing, Winnie.  Tortuga is no Port Royal.  A woman like you'd be on her back within minutes of setting foot on the dock.  You are to remain here, do you understand me?"

   "While I find your concern for my safety touching, perhaps even heartwarming, I find your lack of faith in my abilities to be rather disappointing.  Besides, I have no intention of setting foot in Tortuga, or anywhere else that is not the deck of a ship.  Have no fear, Captain; I shall be safely on deck when you return."

   Jack examined her, which was difficult to do considering her face was half buried in a pillow and her hair nearly obscured the rest of it.

   "I'll be trusting you to keep your word, luv.  Give me your hand so we can shake on it."

   Winn thrust a hand out from underneath her pillow.  While it was only visible from fingertips to forearm, it was good enough for the pirate.  "We're agreed then.  You stay aboard ship."  Satisfied that Winn would keep her word, Jack left, looking forward to a day of rum and "pleasurable company."  _But first I need to discharge White and find a suitable replacement.  Wait, I'll have Gibbs . . . no, I'd better do it._

For Winn, the hours 'til dusk could not have passed any slower.  True, she spent most of the day sewing her sketch book and journal into oil cloth pouches inside her pant legs to protect them from the water, but for the most part she stayed in the Captain's quarters. She dared only to go out on a few quick reconnaissance missions before setting her mind to stay inside.  When she did go out, she was careful not to pay too much attention to her surroundings or to raise any suspicion in the ten or so men left aboard.

   Eventually, her patience paid off.  Around noon, the ship in the berth next the _Black Pearl_ cast off.  Tortuga was one of the few places in the Caribbean where pirates were safely able to tie up at the dock.  Once the decrepit hulk of ship was out of her way, Winn saw that luck and coincidence were indeed with her.  The next ship over was the _Kingfisher – her brother's ship.  While it appeared that no one was aboard at the moment, Winn knew Ryan preferred to sail with the evening tide, which was around ten o'clock that night.  __Finally, I can leave this ship.  And more importantly, leave her Captain._

   So, Winn bided her time until sunset.  Taking a quick walk around the main deck, she saw sailors returning to both the _Kingfisher and the __Pearl alike.  She was on the verge of changing her plans when she saw her brother and his wife immerge from the _Kingfisher's_ main cabin.  _Right . . . alone time on board.  Difficult to get when you're on a shipful of men.  Bet they enjoyed that.__

  Looking around to see if anyone was paying her any attention, Winn walked closer to the rail with her normal proud strides.  If she started sneaking, she'd catch their attention for sure – better to look normal.  Turning her back to the _Kingfisher, she leaned against the rail.  Once again glancing around at the now slightly inebriated crew, Winn took a deep breath, and then flipped over the rail behind her._

   She hit the water with a splash that most of the _Pearl's_ crew ignored.  Knowing that could change in an instant, Winn started swimming towards her brother's ship before her head broke the water's surface.  _Oh my goodness, this water is a bit colder than I expected, she thought._  Good thing Ryan brought Cat, otherwise I'd be stuck in wet clothes for while.  __

   Once she could no longer hold her breath, she surfaced only to hear shouts from both crews.  Some voices sounded angry, others were shouting directions.  However, there was one voice she could hear above all the rest – the voice of her brother ringing out in full-fledged amusement. "Throw down a rope, lads!  If our swimmer is so determined to make it aboard, the least we can do is lend a hand."

   Grinning, Winn lengthened her stokes.  _That was too easy._

A rope landed in the water a foot or two to her right.  Changing course, she grabbed hold of it.  Quicker and with less care than she would have liked, she was pulled up the hull of the ship onto the _Kingfisher's_ deck.  The crew gathered around her.  "It's a bloomin' female."  "Look, it's a girl!"  "I thought the only girls who could swim like that were mermaids."  Winn ignored these comments as she stood up, looking around for her brother.  His presence was announced by a parting in the throng in front of her.

   "Why, if it isn't my baby sister!  Freddy, what are you doing here?"  Ryan came up with a blanket to enfold his younger sister in.  

   Gratefully leaning against her brother, Winn mumbled, "It's a long story, and don't call me Freddy."  It was a common theme between them – she complained and he ignored.  "Right now I'd appreciate it if you'd shove off.  I'd really like to leave."

The first thing that Jack Sparrow heard as he came back to ship that evening was the angry shouts of his crew.  _What could have happened now?_ he wondered.  _I thought didn't think anyone was drunk enough to cause too much trouble._

   Picking up his pace, Jack soon saw what the trouble was.  His entire crew was gathered to one side of the railing, shouting at the ship in the next berth.  It was getting ready to set sail, by the looks of it.  Looking at the deck to see if he could discern the cause of all the ruckus, he saw a cluster of three figures, two tall and dry, one short and dripping wet.  When the figure turned, he saw a mane of black hair hanging around a brown face.  Looking closer, he saw that it was Winifred.

_   "I'd rather you not come back until after sundown – it would make it ever so much easier to escape."  "While I find your concern for my safety touching, perhaps even heartwarming, I find your lack of faith in my abilities to be rather disappointing.  Besides, I have no intention of setting foot in Tortuga, or anywhere else that is not the deck of a ship.  Have no fear, Captain; I shall be safely on deck when you return."_

   Jack watched as the dripping figure saluted him, a cocky smile just visible in the fading light.

   Returning the salute with a smile of his own, Jack shouted, "Well, I see you kept your word, Winnie.  Safely on deck, indeed.  I believe I owe you for this, lass.  It's been awhile since I've been so outmaneuvered."

   Winn shouted back, "Don't worry about it, Captain Sparrow.  I was glad to be of service.  I shall pass along your regards to Will and Elizabeth."

   "As I shall pass yours along to them," Jack said under his breath.  Walking up the plank to his ship, he started making plans to reach Port Royal unnoticed.


	6. Absent Irritations

**Disclaimer: I am far too unimaginative to do anything other than borrow other people's characters.  In other words, I own nothing in this story besides all peeps you don't recognize.  Which would mean that I am imaginative enough to write without borrowing other people's characters.  Maybe what I need are other people's established plotlines . . . (Author wanders off after successfully confusing herself.)**

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**Story Thus Far:**

   Jack watched as the dripping figure saluted him, a cocky smile just visible in the fading light.

   Returning the salute with a smile of his own, Jack shouted, "Well, I see you kept your word, Winnie.  Safely on deck, indeed.  I believe I owe you for this, lass.  It's been awhile since I've been so outmaneuvered."

   Winn shouted back, "Don't worry about it, Captain Sparrow.  I was glad to be of service.  I shall pass along your regards to Will and Elizabeth."

   "As I shall pass yours along to them," Jack said under his breath.  Walking up the plank to his ship, he started making plans to reach Port Royal unnoticed.

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Winn took a deep breath of night air as she watched the lights of Tortuga slowly dim with the passage of water underneath the hull.  She was free, she was with part of her family, and best of all, she was away from Jack Sparrow.  Pulling the blanket tighter against her small frame, Winn turned to Ryan and his wife Catherine.  "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

   "I would if you would tell us anything, Freddy."  Ryan Morgan wanted to know exactly what his baby sister had been doing aboard the _Black Pearl.  Though he knew she would resent him for being concerned for her wellbeing, he couldn't help thinking, __I'll get Sparrow should Winn ask for it.  I'll definitely get him if he laid a hand on her._

   Cat jumped in before her husband could get fully into captain/big brother mode.  "Before you start in on her, Ryan, maybe we could get her into some dry clothes, get her some food, possibly something to drink . . ."

   His train of thought broken, Ryan gazed fondly at his wife and nodded.  "Yes dear, of course.  I don't know what I was thinking.  Perhaps while we're at it we can hunt down a few goose feather pillows or ask the sky not to storm so that Winn can sleep more comfortably tonight."

   Catherine Morgan laughed.  "You sir, are being extremely impertinent.  Just because I brought up a good point doesn't mean you need to . . ."

   Winn interrupted before this went on too long.  While the Caribbean nights were anything but cold, they weren't exactly warm either when one stood dripping wet aboard a moving ship. "Dry clothing sounds wonderful, as does the food.  But I insist on talking while we eat.  I believe we have a great deal to catch up on."  Having made peace, at least in her mind, Winn took the arms of her brother and sister-in-law, and guided them to Ryan's cabin.

 ". . . and so ends the story of my time aboard the _Black Pearl_."  Winn sat back looking at the astonishment and amusement on the faces of her family.  "Blasted man still has the rum I got for Elizabeth and Will, _and _my sword.  At least he gave me back Father's knife the day after our duel.  I hate to think what I would have done had I left _that_ behind."

   "I can't believe you actually challenged the man to a duel on the deck of his own ship, Freddy.  It sounds like Captain Sparrow was exercising remarkable restraint.  You're lucky you got away with just a scratch; Sparrow had every right to do much more lasting harm.  It's not like he recognized you as a fellow captain."  Ryan was amazed by his younger sister at times.

   "I've faced worse, Ry, and come out all right.  Don't start playing 'brother knows best.'  I'm twenty-six for goodness sake.  Besides, the insufferable man made me mad."

   "He made you mad?"

   Winn glared when she heard the astonishment in her brother's voice.  "Yes, he made me mad.  It's been known to happen when people go digging in a past they're not wanted in."

   "Yes, it's been known to happen.  I myself have not only seen you mad and lived to tell about it, but have made you mad myself.  I think the least I ever got away with was a thorough maiming.  Yet this non-member of the family is still alive, in full possession of all his body parts, and able to walk without the aid of a crutch?"

   Winn made a face.  "You needn't make me sound like some kind of virago, Ry."

   "No, I think the term 'harpy' works ever so much better."

   "Cat, make your husband stop insulting me."  Winn appealed to her brother's wife.  "I thought you would have him better trained by now.  You've been married for what, nearly ten years?  Don't you have _any control over him?" she teased._

   Catherine laughed.  "One would think so.  Perhaps more than one might think."  She leaned over and whispered something in her husband's ear.  Winn watched as his eyes widened in horror.  She let out a peal of delighted laughter.

   "What'd you say?" she asked Cat.

   "You'll know when you have to threaten your own husband into proper behavior," was her sister-in-law's reply.

   There was a quiet knock at the door.  Jumping at the opportunity to get the focus of the conversation off him, Ryan called for the person to enter.  Three men came in with trays.  Quickly clearing the table of the Morgan's dinner dishes, they left a bottle and three glasses behind on the table.  Then they left, shutting the doors to the cabin behind them.

   Winn reached for the bottle.  "I see Richie bestowed a few bottles of his best rum upon you as well.  You don't happen to have a spare I can give to Will and Elizabeth, do you?"

   "Well . . ." he said reluctantly, "it's awful hard to get drunk off just a single bottle of rum, especially when it's split three ways."  Ryan grinned evilly.

   Winn fixed a hard eye on her brother.  "We are not at Grandfather's.  I see no reason why I should get drunk for your amusement at this point in time.  It'll be soon enough that we're all gathered back together – you can watch me drink you under the table then.  Now, I want to hear all about your children.  How are my nieces and nephews doing?"

   Tilting his chair back on two legs, Ryan started talking.  "Well, for one thing Cat and I will have been married for _eleven years come October, not ten."_

   "Oh . . . Please, I humbly ask that you accept my deepest and most heartfelt apology on behalf of my confusion . . . ."

   "Hush."

   The rest of the night was spent with the proud parents telling various amusing stories of their children, while their aunt listened in rapt attention.  When daylight started to show through the aft windows, Cat yawned.  "Oh, I shouldn't have stayed up so late.  I need my sleep."

   "And why's that, Catherine dear?  Do you have something else you want to tell me before we fall asleep where we sit?"

   Looking at her husband, Cat smiled gently.  "You tell her Ryan."

   Taking his wife's hand, Ryan said proudly, "Catherine is pregnant again.  Come February, you'll have another niece or nephew.  Care to place a bet on which it will be?  The rest of the family will, once they hear about this."

   "Yeah, I'll bet.  I'm thinking you're going to have another set of twins, which will up my niece and nephew count to sixteen.  You all need to stop having children before I die of exhaustion."

   "You!"

   "Yes me.  Who do you think is the favorite aunt around here?" Winn asked with mock indignation.  "I happen to have no children or husband of my own demanding my time, so all your little terrors feel free to mob me at once.  I'm the one who tells stories all day, who watches a majority of your children so you can have some time alone, who fishes overeager toddlers out of tide pools, who has small children invading her bed at all hours of the night, that. . ."

   "Ok, we get the point, Freddy.  We'll make sure to name our next daughter after you out of gratitude."

   "Right.  If you really want to thank me, you can stop calling me 'Freddy' for starters."  Standing up, she added, "And then you can show me to where I'll be bedding down for the next few hours.  I've got to get some sleep before we reach port this evening."

   Taking Winn by the arm, Ryan said to his wife, "Go ahead and get to bed.  I'll be right back after I escort Freddy to her room."  Cat gave him a look that told him she knew exactly what he was planning on doing.  Leaving before she could say something, Ryan pulled Winn out the doors to his cabin.

    Shutting the doors behind him, he turned to her.  She was looking up at him, eyes tired and confused.  "What?  You're not about to ask what I think you are, are you?"

   "I was planning on asking you if Sparrow laid a hand on you beyond what you described.  If he did, if he took advantage in the ways that pirates have been known to . . ."

   "You want to know if he raped me, or if he got me drunk and coerced me into sleeping with him?"  Winn sighed.  "What would you do if he did?  Hunt him down like a dog and kill him? Track him down and demand that he do the 'honorable thing' and marry me?  The second choice would accomplish the same as the first, except he'd end up killing himself.  Stop being ridiculous, Ry."  Seeing the look on her brother's face, Winn continued quickly.

   "Captain Sparrow did nothing but jerk me around a few times and gave me no wounds but a surface scratch, for which I paid him back in full.  If he _had_ done anything else, I'd handle it myself, Ry.  You know that.  I wouldn't have left that ship before I had killed him.  You need to learn that I can take care of myself.  That I _have_ taken care of myself.  I don't need an older brother to look out for me the same way I used to.  Threaten potential suitors?  Yes.  Provide an escape vessel?  By all means.  Come up with a second wedding present?  Most definitely.  Defend my honor?  I think I've got that covered."

   Pulling her into a hug, Ry said, "I know you can take care of yourself.  It's just that I still think that I can do it better."  He released her slowly.  "Now, get to bed.  Big day tomorrow.  Old friends to greet, a pack of wild dogs to tell stories to, a man to welcome into the family – well, sorta."

   Winn laughed.  "See, that's what I need from you – a to-do list."  She pulled his head down and kissed him on the forehead.  "Thanks.  Go see your wife."  She pulled open the door to the cabin behind her and disappeared from Ryan's sight.

   "Night, Freddy."

An hour later, Winn was lying on one of the bunks that Ry and Cat had set aside for their children in a cabin next to theirs.  She was drowsy, but she couldn't seem to get her mind to stop racing.  Various thoughts, memories, and scenes from the past few days kept forcing their way to the forefront of her mind, leaving her aggravated and sleepless. . .

   Turning over, she thought, _Ry and Cat are so happy, so in love.  Even after nearly eleven years.  Just like mum and papa seemed to be._  The thought didn't make her nearly as sad as it might have had she been fully awake.  _I wonder if I'll ever find anyone that will make me that happy.  _Opening her eyes, she wondered where that thought had come from.  She was perfectly content with her single status.  She was independent.  She had her family, her friends, her hobbies.  _I don't **want** anything else.  I don't want **anybody else.  She forced her muscles to relax once more**__.  But, wouldn't it be nice, a part of her whispered,__ to have someone to hold you like your brothers have?  To have someone to talk to, to touch?  To **love?**_

_   **NO**!  Stop it!  I **like** my life.  I don't want any obligations to anyone else.  And loving others brings obligations.  I want to remain . . . I want to be **free.  I want to keep who I am, to keep a part of myself separate . . .**_

_   Ye be a liar, lassie._   Since when did her inner voice sound like Jack?  Even when the man wasn't around he was finding ways to annoy her.  _I **don't** want to think about this anymore._

   Punching her pillow into a more restful shape, she deliberately changed her train of thought._ Tomorrow we'll dock in Port Royal, and I'll get to see Elizabeth, not to mention Marcus and his brood.  He had just better not start on "respectability."  I might have to throw him in the ocean if he does.  She smiled at the thought.  Setting her thoughts aside for the time being, Winn fell asleep._

**Tortuga, same night:**

   "Gibbs!  _Gibbs!_"  Jack roared as he boarded the _Black Pearl.  He had watched from the dock as the __Kingfisher was faded into the evening's gathering gloom, thinking, _If I want to set sail tomorrow, then I have plans to make tonight._  He'd let himself be blasted six ways from Sunday if before he'd let that scrap of a female think she'd bested him._

   Just as Jack was going to yell for Gibbs again, the man appeared at his elbow.  "What is it ye'd be wantin', Capt'n?"

   "What I'd be wantin'?  What I'd be _wantin__'?  I be _wantin___' to find our guest still aboard, but it looks like I'm out of luck when it comes to that, doesn't it?  I'll settle for leaving Tortuga with the tide tomorrow evenin' instead."_

   "Tomorrow?" Gibbs protested.  "But the crew was countin' on another few days –"

   "Yes, well, I'm the bloody Captain here, and I say we set sail tomorrow."

   "To what purpose, Jack?"  Ana Maria came up unannounced.  Ever since she had returned his ship to him, the blasted woman thought she had the right to put in her two cents worth anytime she felt like it.  "What would we do in Port Royal for near a week?" she asked, unaware of Jack's thoughts.  "Have tea with the Gov'ner?  Catch up on old times with Commodore Norrington?  Get a grip, Capt'n.  Your little Kestrel will still be in port if we show up the day of the weddin'.  Not to mention your crew would be less likely to desert if we don't make this a suicide mission."

   "Aye, Capt'n.  Ana Maria has the right of it.  Besides, it's bad luck to rush into these kinda things."

   Jack glared at his two crewmen and friends.  He _hated it when others pointed out things he knew for himself, and despite his ire with Winn, he had known that he was being foolish.  "Fine," he snarled.  "Then before we leave Tortuga in three days, I want this ship to be cleaner than she was when she was first built.  Savvy?"_

   Stalking to his cabin, Jack ignored the looks his crew was giving him.  _If that wench thinks she's gotten the best of me, then she's got another thing coming.  "I'll pass on your regards," indeed.  Cocky little, scheming, piratous get of a wharf rat._

   Highly annoyed (as was shown by his language), Jack went to his liquor cabinet intending on getting himself drunk this night.  Opening it up, he found that all his bottles were empty – well, all save one.  His commandeered bottle of Pelican Bay rum was still fully intact and was being kept company by a note.

   _Captain Sparrow, _he read,_ sorry for your lack of spirits at this time, but I did get rather bored sitting here in this cabin all day without your, how did you put it? Your 'enthralling presence in my life?'  No matter.  This bottle would be gone as well if I didn't fear the wrath of my dear brother who put his heart and soul into this particular vintage.  That and I thought you might need some consolation upon discovering my absence._

_   Truly, my time aboard the Pearl_ has been lovely (other than the time I spent 'conversing' with you, that is) and I regret my need to leave.  However, it did prove to be necessary, not to mention fortuitous, for me to make my exit at this point in time.  I hope you will remember me as . . . **fondly** . . . as I will remember you.__

_   Sincerely,_

_        Winifred._

Jack crumpled the note in his hand.  He was about to uncork the remaining bottle of rum when he had an idea.  _This might come in handy later, he thought._

   His good humor instantly restored by the thought of a little good natured revenge, Jack left his cabin, whistling.  "Gibbs!  I'm going ashore.  Look after my ship."  And with that, Jack left for the nearest tavern to purchase several bottles of rum.

   "What's put him in such a fine mood?" Gibbs wondered aloud to Ana Maria.

   "It'd be my guess that he's come up with some kind of plan for Mistress Winn.  I wonder if the lass knows what she's gotten herself into."  Hearing Jack to break into a rousing chorus of his favorite song, Ana Maria felt sorry for the strange woman.

Later that night – **much** later that night – Jack lay in an alcohol induced haze upon his bunk.  Had anyone been around to comment on his inebriated estate, Jack would have told them that he wasn't quite _drunk, per se__.  However, he was close enough as to not split hairs over semantics.  (In other words, he was most definitely drunk enough to mix his metaphors without a second thought.)_

   On the verge of sleep, something disturbed Jack from his descent into slumber.  Lifting his head in fuzzy confusion, he looked about his cabin with blurry eyes.  _What's that smell?  No, it's not a smell . . . more like . . . a scent.  Yes, a scent.  So what's that scent?_  He sniffed the air, his forehead wrinkling with concentration before suddenly brightening.  _I know that smell . . . a woman, that's it!  It smells like a woman in here._  Just as suddenly, his face fell as he remembered, _But there isn't a woman in here . . . is there?_  He looked around his room again.

   _No, no woman. So what . . . ? he buried his head in his pillow in confusion and vexation.  When he did so, the scent got stronger.  Lifting his head, he looked at his pillow quizzically.  __Why does my pillow . . . **Winnie**!  That little . . . she made my pillow **smell like her.  How am I supposed to sleep with her in my nose?**_

   He buried he head in his pillow again, forgetting that it smelled like Winnie for a moment.  As he lay there, he realized that the scent wasn't necessarily a _bad_ one.  For such a no nonsense woman, the scent Winn wore was remarkably . . . feminine.  It smelled of some kind of orchid, with underlying traces of lavender and some kind of musk.  It was really a very sexy aroma.

   _Sexy!  Right.  That woman is so cold that any man who'd try to bed her would end up with frostbite.  Following hot on the heels of that thought was the memory of green-blue eyes flashing with anger and a sleep roughened voice that was more in character with a woman of a much different profession.  _Uh-huh, _he thought._  We are not going there, Jack 'ole boy.  There are plenty of other women to think about.  We're going to go to bed and sleep off the rum so you can start planning tomorrow. That's it, sleep . . . sleep . . . slee . . .__

   Jack's soft snores filled the cabin in much the same way that memories and dreams filled his sleep.

****


	7. Reaching Port Royal

**Disclaimer: Guess who's comin' through with a little disclaimer/Tune's okay, but the words are getting' lamer/Ain't no saint can legitimatize rhyming 'pride' with 'tide' with 'unionize'/See I agree we gotta boycott hell/But we oughtta boycott dumb lyrics as well . . . Wait, I don't own that either.  Bummer, I don't even own my own disclaimer.  I don't own the A/N either, so be forewarned.**

**A/N:  Mother, Mother ocean/I have heard you call/I've wanted to sail upon your waters/since I was three feet tall/You've seen it all, you've seen it all/Watched the men who rode you/switch from sail to steam/In your belly you hold more treasures than few have ever seen/Most of them dream, most of them dream/Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years too late/The cannons don't thunder, there's nothing to plunder . . . **

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**Last Time:**

Both Jack and Winn managed to annoy the other as they were not even in the other's presence.  We met the first members of Winn's rather large family.  Arriving in Port Royal.

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"Winn?  Wake up Winn.  It's past noon – high time you were up and about."  Cat eyed the unmoving bundle of sheets and blankets that lay unresponsive on the bunk before her.  Critically inspecting the mass, she thought, _It looks as if **someone had a rough night . . . morning . . . whatever.  Tired of standing there talking to herself, Cat took action.  Taking hold of Winn's covers, she ripped them off their occupant unmercifully.  That got a response, not much of one, but a response none the less.**_

   "Wanna sleep . . . g'way.  I don't _like you.  Uhhh . . . ."  Winn's face was buried in her pillow, her words sleep slurred._

   "I brought you a bath . . ." Cat persuaded in a sing-song voice.  Upon hearing this, Winn's head turned so that she could see out of one eye.

   "A bath?  A _real_ bath?  With soap and warm water that I can use to wash my entire body, even my hair?"

   Cat nodded.  "I thought you might want to clean up after that salt water dip you took yesterday.  I know I'd want to."

   Winn scratched at an arm as she sat up in her bunk.  Pushing her hair out of her face (it had pretty much given up on the knot it had been in), she grimaced.  "Yeah.  I had almost forgotten that I'm allergic to salt water."  Leaning against the wall, she pulled at the neck of her sleepshirt (a normal shirt that was borrowed from her brother) to reveal a wealth of tiny red dots covering her skin.  They started at her neck and continued to her bare feet.  These she presented to Cat as evidence as well.  "Washing should help get rid of this."

   Cat clicked her tongue in sympathy.  "That looks unpleasant.  Are you sure it's just a reaction to the salt water?"

   "Yeah.  What else could it be?"

   "How about a lack of any Jack Sparrow in your life?" Cat asked innocently.

   Winn's grimace turned into a full-fledged frown at the suggestion.  "It's more likely to be a reaction to being in such close proximity to the man's tongue for an extended amount of time," she muttered.

   "And you said nothing went on between you two.  Are you sure there's nothing you want to share with me?"  Cat was enjoying this far more than was necessary.

   Thinking evil thoughts, Winn blushed, and cursed herself for it.  "You _know_ what I meant, Cat.  Should he ever lose his whet stone, Captain Sparrow's tongue would sharpen his sword to an even better point than the stone would have.  If you thought I meant anything else, then you've clearly spent too much time aboard ship with all these rough and crude men."

   "Hmm . . . I don't know _anyone_ like that. . ."

   "You said something about a bath?"  Winn asked, getting up and slipping on her breeches.  "Could I possibly take it sometime before the wedding?  Like now?"

   "Fine, fine.  I surrender.  End of conversation.  Com'on.  I had the men set up your bath in our quarters.  They're better equipped for such things."  Cat eyed Winn's unique getup.  "And while you're cleaning up, I'll see to getting some of your things out of ship's stores.  You can't possibly meet your friends and your brother while dressed like that.  You look thoroughly disreputable."

   "I feel disreputable.  I _am disreputable," Winn muttered rebelliously as she followed Cat out of the room and into the brightness of the Caribbean noonday sun._

"So my little sister is aboard after all.  I was beginning to think that last night was a figment of my imagination."  Ryan watched as his wife and sister emerged from his cabin.  While his wife was her normal beautiful self (she was beautiful in any state of appearance, really), his sister was transformed from the scraggly thing that had been pulled on deck last night.

   Her hair, which was once more coiled into compliance at the nape of her neck, shone in the sun like polished ebony (which is only **nearly** black, not absolute black).  He wasn't sure why she demanded is keeping it under such strict control – it was beautiful hair.  _No, I understand why she does that.  It keeps her eyes from standing out as much, which was true.  When her hair was loose, her distinctive eyes seemed to glow at times against the dark backdrop._

   Speaking of her eyes, she had her glasses on once again.  She hadn't when she had arrived.  _They must have been in one of her pockets.  The glass of the lenses muted the shade of her eyes to an unremarkable shade of blue, a color people would forget soon after seeing it._

   At least the dress she was wearing was something other than grey or chocolaty brown, the colors she normally preferred.  Knowing that he might have to accommodate his siblings and their wives at any time, Ryan kept a stock of clothing in their sizes aboard ship.  The dress that Cat pulled from stores was the same shade of blue as the cove outside their grandfather's house.  The sleeves ended halfway down the forearm in falls of lace that had been delicately embroidered with silver.  Under the hem of the gown, Ry could see that his sister had refused to give up her sea-boots.

   His womenfolk reached him in a flurry of hugs.  While Winn was giving her perfunctory sisterly kiss to his cheek, he asked, "Wearing your armor again Freddy?"

   She fixed a polite smile on her face, and ignoring the question, she muttered, "This was _all you had for me to wear?"_

   "What's wrong, Freddy?  I thought you liked . . ."

   "I _like not drawing attention to myself, as you very well know my _dearest_ brother.  I like to able to hide in the shadows should the need arise to do so.  The only thing I'm going to able to hide behind in this . . . this . . . _confection_ . . . is a peacock."  _

   Ry smiled.  Turning to his wife, he asked, "Was it much of a battle to get her into those things?"

   "Yes, and as you can see, neither of us won."  Cat smoothed a strand of auburn hair back into place.

   "Speak for yourself.  I think I made plenty of concessions to your mad whim to dress me like a doll.  I was the captain of a _pirate ship, for goodness sake.  Maybe not for very long, but that's not the point.  I don't need to dress to impress nor to intimidate.  If I can't do so without flashy clothes then I don't deserve to."_

   "Yes, but you know the rules . . ."

   "You're right."  Winn was braced for battle.  "And the rule is you dress second best to greet Grandfather at the house, and in your best for dinner the first night that the entire clan dines together.  The entire clan isn't here, and neither is Grandfather, so I fail to see how that rule applies at this point in time."

   "It doesn't.  I have fancier clothes for you down in the hold still."  Ry smiled as he won the argument.  Winn just glared at him.  Seeing the look on her face, Ry wiped the smile off quickly and comically.

   Still glaring, but unable to keep her lips from quirking up, Winn asked in her haughtiest voice, "How long do we have until we reach Port Royal?"

   "A few hours," her brother replied.  "Three at the most.  Why?"

   "So we should be there around five o'clock?"

   "That's correct.  Why?"

   "Oh, I'm just wondering what lengths I need to go to in order to evade you.  If you need me I shall be in my cabin."  And with that she walked away, prepared to wait out the hours until the _Kingfisher_ docked in Port Royal.

"That's it!  That must be it! That has to be the ship that Winn is on!  Will?  Have I told you how much I've missed Winn?"

   Will Turner smiled down at the woman at his side – the woman who would soon be his wife.  "Yes, Elizabeth.  I believe you may have mentioned it once or twice."  In truth, Elizabeth had talked of only two things in the past month or so:  the wedding and the arrival of the friend whom they were currently waiting for.

   The inhabitants and drifters of the Port Royal waterfront wove their way around the betrothed couple as they stood looking out at the bay.  Winn was supposed to have arrived several hours before, and they had kept a vigilant lookout for her ship since then.  Elizabeth was nearly frantic with excitement over seeing her friend again.  

   Friend?  No, more like a sister.  Winn had moved in with Elizabeth and her family when Elizabeth was but seven and Winn was fourteen.  Before that, their mothers had been great friends, which is why Winn came to live with the Swanns upon the death of _her_ mother.  When Elizabeth's mother had died a little more than a year after that, Winn had become the female role model in Elizabeth's young life, much to her father's chagrin.  

   Winn was headstrong and intensely shy, neither of which were found to be redeeming characteristics in young ladies of quality.  Then there was the fact that she could tell the most bloodthirsty stories, which was incredibly appalling to adults, and intriguing to Elizabeth.  And her knowledge of pirates?  Well, that little secret had been kept from Governor Swann.  

   When Winn had gone to live with her grandfather upon their arrival in the Caribbean, Elizabeth had been crushed at the loss of her best friend.  Looking now to Will, Elizabeth asked, "Do you remember when you first met Winn?  On the _Dauntless, after we rescued you?  You remember how –"_

   "I remember that she intimidated me," Will laughed.  "I was sure that she was going to skin me alive if I so much as looked at her wrong."

   Elizabeth's dark brown eyes went large with surprise.  "Really?  You never told me that."

   "Yes, well, that was before I discovered that she'd rather tell stories and teach bawdy songs than dump someone overboard.  She always seemed to have another pirate story to tell."

   "I know.  Winn taught me everything I know about pirates, including that ridiculous code."  Elizabeth smiled, lost in memory.

   "What about that song you love so much?  Did she teach you that as well?"

   "Of course."  Elizabeth's eyes focused back in on the ship that had just docked.  "Look!  The passengers are disembarking!  Do you see her?"

   Will was about to reply when a squeal from his fiancée cut him off.  _Elizabeth?  Squealing?  She's more excited than I thought._

   Grabbing Will's arm in one hand and pointing with the other, Elizabeth exclaimed, "Will, look!  There she is!  She's finally here!"

   Leveling his gaze in the direction of Elizabeth's pointing finger, Will saw a dark haired woman of short stature arguing with a taller man and woman.  She looked agitated.

   "Winn?  _Winn!_"  While Elizabeth wasn't the loudest woman in the world, her voice was more than sufficient to carry across open water to the figures on the ship.

   The dark haired woman turned from her discussion with her companions towards the docks.  She moved her head from side to side as if trying to locate where the call had come from.  Elizabeth waved an arm in the air as she once again shouted, "Winn!  Over here!"

   Winn, standing on the deck of the _Kingfisher_, located who had been calling her name.  "Elizabeth!" she called back.  Disappearing from view for a moment before reappearing on the gangplank that connected the ship to land, Winn ran to her friend.  She raced down the narrow board, skits held out of her way.  As she neared the couple's position, Elizabeth screamed in delight and broke away from Will to go meet her.

   The two women connected in a tangle of arms and skirts.  Laughter and tears could be heard over the crowd that was commenting on their raucous behavior.

   "You've grown so much, Liz," Winn laughed.  "You're taller than I am now."

   Elizabeth grinned.  "I told you I'd be taller than you one day.  I always try to keep my word.  It's impolite to do otherwise.  I can't believe that you're still wearing those glasses.  I didn't think you'd take me seriously when I said that men didn't like women who wore spectacles."

   "Yes, well, past experience has proven that you were a shrewd child.  Hardly anyone spares me a second glance when I wear these."

   "Care to greet another old friend?"  Will came up to the two friends.

   "William Turner!  I swear.  You've gotten taller than I ever thought you would.  You were such a scrawny child."  Smiling, Winn let go of Elizabeth to give Will a hug of greeting.  "I'm not at all sure what Liz sees in you."

   "It's my blacksmith's hands, or so I've been told."

   "Will!"  Elizabeth exclaimed in mock horror.  Swatting him on the arm, she turned back to Winn.  "I'm so glad that you're finally here.  I was starting to get worried.  You had written that the ship you would be arriving on would be coming in between ten o'clock and noon with good weather."

   "Yes, well, there's a bit of a story behind that."  Winn didn't want to recap her entire experience on the _Black Pearl for the entirety of Port Royal to hear and ruminate on._

   Switching the topic, Winn asked, "You remember my brother Ryan?"  When Elizabeth nodded, she continued, "Then come say 'hello' and come meet his wife.  You'll just adore Cat."

   Winn led the couple back to the _Kingfisher_ where the captain and his wife were disembarking.  "Ryan!  Come say 'hello' to Elizabeth.  Catherine, let me introduce you to two good friends of mine."

   Once the common courtesies were dispensed with, and the group was headed towards a carriage, Elizabeth asked Ryan, "So why were you late getting to port, Captain?  Is it possible that Winn drove you mad and you forgot where you were headed?"

   Ryan smiled.  He had forgotten how spirited the Swann lass was.  Of course, the last time he had seen her, she had been four or five years old and visiting with her mother.  "Possible?  Yes.  Is that what happened?  No.  No, I arrived precisely when I meant to.  It's Freddy here who managed to show up late."

   Will and Elizabeth turned quizzically to their friend.  "So . . . why were you late?  And no avoiding the question this time."

   Winn let out a loud sigh.  "I hope you _do realize that it is only by virtue of our long and honest  friendship that I am allowing you to badger me into answering such a complicated question right here on the dock where anyone might overhear us . . ."_

   "Winn!  Answer the question!"  Elizabeth was near laughter at Winn's verbose attempt to through off her questioners.  She let Will hand her up into the carriage, smiling when Winn declined any assistance.

   Fussing with her skirts, Winn prepared herself for the commotion she was about to cause.  Once everyone was seated, she looked Elizabeth in the eye.  "I was late because I ran into a bit of an . . . inconvenience."

   "What _kind of inconvenience?"_

   "The kind named _Captain Jack Sparrow."_

   After two or three shocked moments of silence, giggles could be heard quietly over the clopping of horse's hooves and the rattle of the carriage wheels on the cobblestones.  Glaring at Elizabeth, who was holding a gloved hand over her mouth, Winn stated, "It wasn't _funny, Liz.  The man is totally and completely insufferable."_

   Still trying to hold in her mirth, Elizabeth replied, "This from the woman, who upon hearing how I was threatened by the same man, said, 'Were you hurt?  If not, the experience was probably good for you.'  Are you actually asking me for sympathy?"

   "Oh . . . I had forgotten I actually sent that draft of that letter to you."  Winn looked distracted for a moment, causing both Will and Elizabeth to break down into laughter.  Even Ryan and Cat were looking amused.  Collecting herself, Winn's brows snapped down with an almost audible click.  Will stopped laughing, but Elizabeth, being somewhat fearless, kept laughing.  "I was at least expecting sympathy from you, Liz."

   "Right, sympathy.  Oh, my dearest and most fragile friend!  Were you injured by the rapscallion?"

   Winn's lips quirked.  She suspected what was coming, and was prepared to face up to it.  She was the one who had broached the topic after all.  Playing along, Winn replied, "No.  By the grace and mercy of God, I escaped with but a pair of scratches inflicted upon my dear and most wonderful person."

   "Then, my _dearest Winifred, I suspect the experience was probably good for you."_

   "Ok, I deserved that."  Winn looked out the window of the carriage.  They were quickly passing through the main part of Port Royal, the road starting to wind upwards towards the more prosperous section of town.  "Liz, where are we going?"

   "Umm . . . Father insisted you all come to dinner at the house . . . out of respect to Mother."

   "Liz!  Please tell me this will at least be a family dinner?"  If Winn had to sit around making polite small-talk with a bunch of people she didn't know, she'd never survive the night.

   "Well, Father and Will and I will all be there . . ."

   "What aren't you telling me, Liz?"  Winn face was white with tension – she _hated_ talking with strangers.

   "Well . . . Ryan, Catherine, you've both been invited to dine and stay with your brother.  He contacted us yesterday when he got wind of Father's plans.  And while he was very polite, it was clear that we were to 'encourage' you to stay with them.  We can drop you off at his house if that's what you'd rather do.  And Winn, you were invited too, but I would really appreciate it if you would come to dinner at the house.  We have so little time together before the wedding, and afterwards you'll be leaving again . . . ."  Elizabeth looked pensive, knowing exactly what she was asking Winn to do and unsure of what her answer would be.

   Winn looked at her brother and sister, then at her friend.  She was torn.  Avoid what was clearly to be a big deal and go to her youngest brother's house, or disappoint a friend to whom she owed a great deal.

   Ryan leaned forward.  "You can come with us.  You know that Marcus and Grace and the children will be glad to see you."  What was unspoken was the fact that Ry knew Winn would most likely end up spending the night on tattered nerves.  She had never been a big people person.

   "No," Winn whispered having made her decision.  "I'm getting better around strangers, really, I am.  And the more I meet now, the less I'll have to meet at the wedding, right?  I can do this."  Louder, she told Elizabeth.  "I'd be glad to stay with you.  We'll need to send down to the ship for my things, though.  We did leave in a bit of a rush."

   Elizabeth grabbed her friend's hand.  "Thank you," she said feeling how cold Winn's hand was.  "I'll make sure that either Will or I are with you at every moment tonight."

   Winn just smiled wanly, already feeling slightly sick.

   A few minutes later, the three dropped Ry and Cat off at their brother's house.  Accepting well-wishes and good-byes, Winn started composing herself.  _You can't show up looking like some weak-willed, puling, useless female.  I can do this.  I can meet these people.  It's for Elizabeth.  Just remember you're doing this for Elizabeth.  Even thinking such things, Winn was hard pressed to stop the trembling in her hands.  Taking another deep breath, Winn closed her eyes, desperately trying to compose herself.  She could not let her friends down._

   _"Is that all you've got, Winnie?  Seems I overestimated you."  So loud was the voice in her mind, that Winn opened her eyes and searched the cabin for the owner of the voice.  Elizabeth and Will were deep in their own, private conversation like the couple they were; neither of them had spoken to her. Winn growled under her breath.  It had to have been that part of her that was determined to drive her mad._

_   Fine.  I'll do this.  If only to prove that I can.  That will show him._

"Here's the room I had set aside for you.  I hope you like it.  I know that you like being able to see the ocean from your window."  Elizabeth showed Winn her room.  Behind the two women, there were two maids, presumably there to help Winn get undressed for the night.

   Seeing that her room faced west, and that the bay could indeed be seen from the large bay windows, Winn simply said.  "It looks wonderful.  I'm so tired that I could sleep on the ballroom floor at the moment."

   Taking a look at Winn's strained face, Elizabeth simply nodded.  "I know what you mean.  Do you need any help, or should we all just leave?"

   "Please, I would prefer to be alone right now.  I believe that I can undress myself.  If you would excuse me?"

   Hugging her friend briefly, Elizabeth whispered, "Thank you for being here tonight.  I know what it took.  Good night."

   "Good night."  Winn watched as Elizabeth closed the door behind her.  Taking a deep breath, trying vainly to settle her stomach, Winn ran her eyes over the room, looking for the chamber pot.  Finding it, she crossed the room, and instantly cast up her accounts.  _So much for being able to handle a large crowd,_ she thought as she rinsed her mouth with water from a nearby decanter.  

   There were few things on earth that could make Winn lose her normal gravity.  There were few things that could make her mad.  Spiders, snakes, blood – she could face all of those without breaking a sweat.  But there were two things that unnerved her to the point of incapacitating all rational thought - large crowds of strangers and extreme heights.  And tonight had been no exception to that rule.

_   Some pirate I am.  I'm allergic to salt water, can't stand heights, and would pass up an opportunity to plunder just because it means dealing with strangers._

   There had been sixty people at dinner, not to mention the servants.  _Whatever happened to that 'family diner' Elizabeth mentioned?_  For Winn, the entire time had been spent in a cold sweat, her hands trembling as if she had a palsy.  Now, with tremors raking her body to the point where she was having a hard time unbuttoning her dress, Winn wondered how she would have fared had she not had Elizabeth and/or Will at her side the entire time.  _Probably would have passed out after the first ten minutes._

   Climbing wearily into bed, dressed in a chemise because she didn't want to bother digging through her borrowed trunk for a nightdress, Winn thought, _I need to calm down before I go to sleep.  I'll nave nightmares for sure if I remain this agitated.  Where did my drawing pad get to?  Looking around the room, she noticed it lying on her nightstand.  Apparently Elizabeth had remembered how much she depended on that pad as she had directed the servants in hauling Winn's stuff up._

   Reaching over, Winn picked it.  There was a fresh stick of charcoal lying on the cover, along with a note:  _I only stocked up on five or six of these.  Beyond that you're on your own – Elizabeth._   Winn smiled.

  Opening to a blank page, she sat there staring at it for a good five minutes.  Usually, Winn saw what wanted to be drawn as she looked at the freshness of a clean paper.  An image that was hidden beneath the white surface, waiting for her to unleash it.  What she saw now just made her mad.  _No, I'll draw anything else, she begged.  However the paper was silent and unrelenting.  Seeing she had no choice, Winn began to reluctantly draw._

   Slowly, but with increasing speed and surety, an image started to take form.  Like so many of her other sketches, this was simply a pair of eyes.  Losing herself in them, Winn worked quickly to finish, to expel her demons as it were.

   Within fifteen minutes she was finished.  She stared down into the eyes she had drawn.  They were dark, mysterious, and impossible to read; the irises but a shade lighter than the pupils.  They were surrounded by longish lashes and, like the eyes of many seamen, they had a sprinkling of crow's feet at the corners, lines caused by sun and wind and laughter.  The brows were almost hidden by a strip of cloth, and there was a suggestion of beads at the extremity of the sketch.

   Fascinated, Winn sat staring down into the eyes of a man she disliked.  Ever since she had looked up into them from the deck of the _Kestrel_, a yearning to draw them had been at the back of her mind.  She had denied it, not wanting to admit that Jack Sparrow could make her want to do anything except stay out of his way.  But now there was no way that he'd ever see it, so it was safe to give into the temptation.  

   _Why do you fascinate me so? she asked her drawing._  Why can't I forget you?  Why should I want to?  Why do I care?_  Winn had no answers to these questions, and she had no desire to search for them at this time.  _Tired, so tired.__

   The stresses of the day caught up with her abruptly.  Closing her sketch book, Winn set it back on the nightstand, then leaned over and blew out the small oil lamp that had been lit for her.  Settling into the pillows, listening to the waves through the window she had left open and watching the moon disappear into the horizon, Winn asked one more thing before she fell asleep: _What are you looking at now?_

   That night her dreams were full of the creaking of a ship at sea and the passing of the stars over her head.

Miles away, in Tortuga, Jack Sparrow sat in the prow of his ship, watching the stars spin by overhead and making the last plans for his departure.  _Soon my lady, soon.  You have lesson to learn about challenging pirates, luv, and it's one you'll be learning sooner rather than later.  At the thought of such a lesson, Jack started to grin._


	8. Questions

**Disclaimer:  Don't own them, so whatever injures I do or do not inflict upon them don't really count for anything, the same with anything else I happen to used borrowed characters for.  The ones you don't recognize and the semblance of plot are all I own here.**

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**Last Time:**

Miles away, in Tortuga, Jack Sparrow sat in the prow of his ship, watching the stars spin by overhead and making the last plans for his departure.  _Soon my lady, soon.  You have lesson to learn about challenging pirates, luv, and it's one you'll be learning sooner rather than later._  At the thought of such a lesson, Jack started to grin.

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Winn awoke slowly the next morning, feeling ever so much better for a night's sleep, not mention the knowledge that she was going to be able to avoid strangers for the majority of the day.  _I'll get to see Marcus, Grace, and the children tonight, _she thought.  _I wonder if I should try to dig up some presents while Liz is showing me about.  I'll need them for when I get to Grandfather's, so I suppose I might as well._

   For several minutes she simply lay in bed, listening to the commotion of life that could be heard rising faintly from the little black figures on the waterfront.  She shut her eyes again, blocking out the glittering pattern of sun on the water of the bay. She felt incredibly languid, unwilling to do so much as stretch for fear that it would wake her up more than she already was.  She was seriously considering going back to sleep (after all, it's not as if she actually slept well aboard the _Pearl_) when her bedroom door slammed open.

   "Get up, get up, get up!  You're wasting daylight and I want to show you Port Royal before you go to your brother's this afternoon."  The tropical storm usually known to humans as "Elizabeth" blew into Winn's room.  Confronted with such an abundance of energy first thing in the morning, Winn did the only reasonable thing she could think of; she threw one of her many pillows at Elizabeth with deadly accuracy, hitting her squarely in the mouth.  That done, she pulled the covers up over her head and hid.

   "When will you people learn that I don't like, nay, _detest_ mornings?!  Go away until a more civilized hour, and leave me in peace!"  _Why do I have to be surrounded with so many freakishly cheerful morning people?_

   Picking the fallen pillow up from the floor and tossing it back onto the bed, Elizabeth glowered at her friend.  "Well.  I am not at all sure that I deserved _that particular greeting."_

   Briefly sticking her head out from underneath her covers, Winn said, "It's your own fault. And you're right - you didn't deserve that.  You deserved much worse, but unfortunately my dagger is in my trunk.  Go away."  Once again Winn vanished under her blankets.

   Switching tacks, Elizabeth once more resumed her campaign to get her friend out of bed.  "There are fresh blueberry scones for breakfast," she persuaded.  "They're still hot."  At this, the blankets in the region of Winn's head lowered a few inches to unveil her eyes.  _I like blueberry scones._  She took a long, considering look at Elizabeth.

   "Is there coffee?"

   "Yes, there's coffee.  It's still hot as well."  Elizabeth started to grin, thinking that she had finally prevailed.

   "Too bad, I don't like coffee.  Will you _please go away?"  Before Winn could withdraw once more, Elizabeth grabbed the covers and started pulling them from the bed.  Winn, being thoroughly entangled in said covers, managed to get pulled off the bed as well.  Hitting the floor with a muffled thump and a not so muffled yell, Winn was finally finagled out of bed._

Half an hour later, Elizabeth looked up from the table at which she sat to see Winn coming down the stairs.  She was dressed in a dusty blue walking dress with cream and navy embroideries.  "Winn, that's a beautiful dress."

   Muttering under her breath, Winn said, "What good does beautiful do you if you can't move at anything faster than a demure pace?  What if the house should catch fire?  I'd be roasted alive before I'd gain the door.  Whoever came up with this dress ought to be keelhauled and then marooned on an island inhabited by bloodthirsty cannibals.  Walking dress indeed."  To Elizabeth she said, "Thank you."

   Having overheard Winn's mutinous mutters, Elizabeth asked, "Let me guess, Ryan picked it out."

   "However could you tell?"

   "I doubt you'd mutter so much about something that you had decided to wear.  You're usually the biggest supporter of you own ideas."

   "That's because, dear Elizabeth, all _my_ ideas are good ones."  Winn had a decidedly superior look on her face, managing to look down the length of her nose at the taller woman.

   Innocently, Elizabeth inquired, "What about that time you broke your arm because you had decided to climb fifty feet up into a tree just so you could draw an oncoming thunder storm and fell when the winds started blowing your tree every which way?"

   "I was a child, I know better now."

   "How about the time you decided to ride that half-broken horse that Father had bought, and it threw you into a clump of poison oak?

   Winn rolled her eyes, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth.  "That was a slight miscalculation of my riding abilities."

   "And the time we stole that fisherman's boat and tried to sail around the point and nearly died?" Elizabeth asked.

   Grinning, Winn said, "That's where you just lost this argument, Liz.  That was Richie's idea and the reason I was glad when he became a plantation owner instead of a sailor.  Can I eat now?"

   The rest of the morning passed amicably between the two friends.  Despite having kept busy writing to each other every month or so for the past nine years, they had seen each other rarely, the last time being when Winn had come to Port Royal for the birth of Marcus's first child four years ago.  There were many questions about past letters, greater details given to specific escapades, and much laughter shared.

   By the time lunch came around, Winn knew all about Elizabeth's ordeal the past year, and Elizabeth knew all about the rivalry (perhaps even enmity) between Winn and the pirate captain.

   "I know the man is somewhat rude, conceited, peculiar, and so forth, but he really isn't as bad as all that," Elizabeth said to Winn. "Will himself helped Jack escape last summer, and you know how Will feels about pirates.  Even I stood up for the man."

   "Yes, but you did it because you love Will and you thought that if you helped, then perhaps he wouldn't get into as much trouble for his actions, _not because you necessarily like Captain Sparrow."_

   Elizabeth looked mulish.  "I _did feel sorry for Jack when he discovered that his crew had run off with the _Black Pearl_, and I thought that it was a terrible injustice to hang the man simply because he decided to stick around and help us."_

   Winn sighed.  A mulish Elizabeth was no treat.  "Look, I agree that had Captain Sparrow and I met under different circumstances, I might have liked the man.  But considering what _has happened between us, Liz, I simply can't excuse the man's behavior."_

   "Why?  If you've admitted that you could like Jack under different circumstances, then why can't you admit the real reason you don't like him?"

   "Yes I can admit such a thing.  I don't like him because he's pushy, he left my crew sail-less, he enjoys annoying me for annoyance's sake, and he dug into my past without permission.  Not to mention that he _is rude, has no concept of personal space, and . . . and . . . and I just don't like him.  Why are you pressing the issue?"_

   "I just think there's more to it than that, Winn.  I've never known you to openly dislike someone.  You've met people who've annoyed you before, and you just ignored them, gave them the cold shoulder if you will."

   Becoming increasingly tired of this conversation, Winn said flippantly, "Fine.  I also can't stand the way the man dresses.  Can we drop this?  I thought you wanted to show me Port Royal at some point today."

   Knowing that she wasn't going to get any farther in this conversation, Elizabeth conceded to Winn's desire to drop it.  "Yes, I did.  I know that Will in particular wants us to drop by the smithy."

   Smiling for the first time in nearly a half hour, Winn said, "Of course he would.  Let's go."

The smithy was not particularly different from the score of others that Winn had entered since coming to the Caribbean.  Which is to say it was cramped, dark, dingy, and smelled strongly of smoke.  One difference that set it apart from the others that Winn had visited was the enormous gearwork tool-holder that took up most of the space in the small building, and the donkey that was connected to it by a harness.  Standing in the entryway of the building, Winn looked around her.  Seeing the drop off from the landing, she wondered, _How many people have fallen flat on their faces after coming in here?  Especially on days when you come in blind from the sun?_

   Not seeing her fiancé anywhere, Elizabeth called, "Will?  Where are you?"

   "Back here."  Will emerged from a back storeroom, a bucket in his hand.  "I needed more water."  Setting his burden down by the forge, Will came over to offer his assistance in getting down to the two women.  Winn, for once, accepted the helping hand gracefully and gratefully.  Elizabeth had talked her out of wearing her sea-boots, so her feet were shod in dainty little slippers that did little to improve her footing and less to improve her attitude.

   Once on the ground, she commented, "Nasty little drop you've got there.  Did the builder forget to put in an extra step, or was he just drunk when he was studying the plans?"

   "I'm not sure, actually.  The man who owns this building, my former master who has since retired, never said.  And he's never been sober enough for me to ask."  Will grinned.  "Normally I didn't mind, it's not as if he had anything left to teach me, but he had the habit of waking up at rather . . . inopportune moments."  Will and Elizabeth shared a smile.  Deciding she didn't really want to hear the story behind that, Winn settled for examining the smithy in more detail.

   I was obvious that while Will may have been a blacksmith, his true love (other than Elizabeth of course) was forging swords.  There were dozens of them nestled into every corner and nook, they surrounded the enormous shafts that supported the equally enormous gears; there was even a pile of them on the floor next to a large grindstone, obviously waiting to have an edge put on them.

   Picking one up and examining it, Winn commented, "I see Liz wasn't exaggerating when she said that business was booming, and I can see why.  This is a beautiful sword, Will.  You must be proud.  No wonder they're in such demand."  Glancing up from her inspection of the finely crafted weapon, Winn looked a semi self-conscious Will in the eye.  "I'll take three, should you have any to spare." 

   Will looked stunned.  "Three?  But that's –"

   "I'm well aware of how much that is, Will Turner, and frankly I think I'm the one getting the better part of the bargain.  Grandfather and Ry will be pleased to get these."

   "That's only two.  Who's the third one for?"  Will, beginning to look a bit less like a stunned fish, was starting to get curious.

   "Why, for yours truly, of course.  I'm afraid that I was forced by necessity to leave my sword on the _Black Pearl.  Seeing as how it's not going to do me a whole lot good there, I think that it's a good idea to replace it, don't you?"_

   "Yes, of course.  If you don't mind me asking, why is your sword on the _Pearl_?"  Will had a feeling there was a story behind this, and if there was one thing that he enjoyed more than spending time with Elizabeth, it was hearing Winn Morgan tell a story.  She had a special talent at such things.

   "Umm . . . I believe it got knocked out of my hand during my duel with Captain Sparrow.  Sadly, he didn't see the need to return it to me.  Not that I can't see why, it's not like he beat me."  At Will's incredulous look, Winn explained, "It was a draw.  We both drew first blood at the same time."

   "How'd you manage that when he had knocked your sword out of your hand?"

   "He never said anything about combat being limited to swords.  I stuck him with a hair pin."

Once Will had gotten over the fact that Winn had managed to cross swords with Jack Sparrow for nearly an hour (he had demanded on hearing the entire story), he was ever so helpful with finding the right swords for Winn and her family.

   After they had gone through and chosen the appropriate swords for Winn's brother and grandfather, Will turned his mind to finding the perfect sword for her.  "Now, what have do I have around here fit for a lady?" Will muttered as he surveyed the room.

   "I resent that statement.  I'm hardly a lady, Will.  Most so called 'ladies' wouldn't be caught dead buying a sword for someone else, much less for themselves."

   "I'm aware of that, but you _do_ have the hands of a lady."  Taking her hand, he matched it to his.  His hand easily dwarfed hers.  "See?  Most of these swords have handles that are meant to fit larger hands.  I need to find something with a smaller grip."  Letting her hand go, he returned to his mental inventory.

   "I've been fighting with men's swords for years, Will.  I don't think you need to go to too much trouble to find something satisfactory."

   "Nonsense.  I know I have something around here that will be better than 'satisfactory.'  If I don't I'll make something.  A swordsman, or woman, is only as good as their weapon."

   After several minutes, Will strode forward decisively.  Picking up a sword only slightly smaller than the rest, he handed it to Winn who took it with some misgiving.  _But I need a larger sword to fight effectively against larger opponents, she thought._

   "I don't know about this, Will –" she started to protest.  The full weight of the weapon coming to rest in her hand caused her to stop; the sword was heavier than it looked.  Testing its balance, she found it to be perfect in her hand, the precise weight and heft she looked for when choosing a sword.  She looked up at Will, a question in her eyes.

   "I cored the handle with lead, which allowed me to keep the blade longer than I would normally be able to for a grip that size."  Winn nodded in comprehension, returning to her study of the blade.

   It was an understated weapon, deceptive in appearance, much like the woman who would weld it.  The hilt was inlaid with copper wire which almost disappeared into the black leather of the grip.  In the dark it appeared plain; in the sun it would glitter like the dying embers of a fire.  She loved it.

   "Will . . . it's perfect," she breathed.  "I'll take it."

   "You had better; it _is_ a gift after all.  The last time I checked it was rude to refuse a gift."

   Winn looked up sharply.  "Oh, Will, I couldn't possibly accept this."

   "If you don't acquiesce soon, I might have to challenge you to a duel over the matter."  Will and Winn grinned mischievously at each other.

   "Sounds like a plan.  How about tomorrow?  I'm not at all dressed for it today.  These blasted skirts would just get in the way.  You'd have me beat within seconds, which would not at all be good for my reputation."

   "Sounds good.  Do you want to take these with you now, or leave them here to be picked up later?"

   "Umm . . . let's," (she _really_ wanted to take the sword home with her), ". . . let's leave them here.  It might be somewhat awkward to walk down the street with a sword strapped over this getup."  Looking at Elizabeth, Winn said, "I think it's time for us to leave.  I still have gifts to buy for the tots before I arrive at Marcus's for dinner."  Giving Will a brief hug, Winn whispered, "Thank you so much.  I will treasure that sword for as long as I have it."

**That night:**

   "Don't be ridiculous.  If I don't show up at dinner looking like this, Marcus will wonder if I'm really his sister."  Winn was wearing the same clothing that she had been wearing while on the _Pearl_.  Freshly laundered and pressed, she fussed with her pant leg – it wanted to stay caught up in her boot, which was completely unacceptable.  Elizabeth lounged on the bed, looking wronged.  

   Meeting her friend's eyes in the mirror, Winn said, "Don't give me that look.  You know you'd love to change out of your skirt and into something like this.  I know you Elizabeth Swann, and I remember the stunts you used to pull, so don't go around looking like I'm completely and utterly hopeless when it comes to behaving like a proper female."

   "I know, I know.  You're right.  I'm envious."  Elizabeth continued to watch Winn get ready to leave.  "Winn?  Have you ever wondered if there's someone out there for you?"

   Winn, somewhat stunned by the abruptness of the question, briefly paused in her preparations before answering.  "Of course not.  I've had better things to do.  What would make you ask such a silly question?" 

   "Well, I'm marrying Will six days, and I was just thinking . . . if you ever . . ."

   "If I ever changed my mind about getting married?"

   "Yeah.  I mean, you couldn't have been more than fifteen when you announced that you'd rather be a pirate's doxy than ever fall in love and get married.  Do you still feel that way?"

   Winn was silent for a moment.  "No," she said abruptly, "I changed my mind about wanting to be a pirate's doxy.  My views on love, however, remain pretty much the same now as they were then.  I'm happy for you and Will, but I'm not at all convinced that love is for everyone.  And I know it's not for me."

   "But how can you know?"

   "Because that's what I've decided.  Now, what's brought this on?  You feeling sorry for your friend who's quickly becoming an old maid?  Don't be ridiculous.  Someone needs to be a substitute aunt for your children, and everyone knows that maiden aunts are the most fun."  Winn came over and hugged Elizabeth around the shoulders.  "I'm happy with my life, Liz.  Really.  You don't need to start nosing around to find me a mate.  I'm content.  Leave it at that."

   Getting up from the bed, Winn said briskly, "Now, if I don't leave at this very moment, I am going to be late for dinner, and you know how much I hate being late."  Kissing Elizabeth on the cheek, she continued.  "I shall be back later tonight, probably after you're in bed.  So, sleep well.  It won't do for a future bride to have circles under her eyes."  With that she left the room in a determined stride, stopping to pick up her box of painstakingly chosen presents.  Waving to Elizabeth, she said, "Don't make a mess.  Good night."

   Elizabeth lay on the bed for a bit longer after Winn left.  She was worried about her friend.  Since having been engaged to Will, she could hear the emptiness of Winn's arguments.  _Not that my hearing the falseness of it will do me any good.  She's the one who has to be convinced that she's lying to herself.  Getting up to change for her own dinner, Elizabeth saw the sketch book lying on the nightstand. _ I wonder . . . .__

   Picking it up, Elizabeth opened to the back of the book and started flipping pages until she reached the last sketch.  What she saw made her open her eyes in astonishment, before she started to grin.  _Can't stand the man, hmm?_

****

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	9. Late Night Wanderings

**Disclaimer:  Not mine, I am not that brilliant.  I own the plot.  (Or perhaps the plot owns me – I've never gotten this far in a story before, I usually end up stopping after eight pages or so. . . .**

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**Last Time:**

   Elizabeth lay on the bed for a bit longer after Winn left.  She was worried about her friend.  Since having been engaged to Will, she could hear the emptiness of Winn's arguments.  _Not that my hearing the falseness of it will do me any good.  She's the one who has to be convinced that she's lying to herself.  Getting up to change for her own dinner, Elizabeth saw the sketch book lying on the nightstand. _ I wonder . . . .__

   Picking it up, Elizabeth opened to the back of the book and started flipping pages until she reached the last sketch.  What she saw made her open her eyes in astonishment, before she started to grin.  _Can't stand the man, hmm?_

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Winn returned to the Swann residence well after midnight, exhausted but happy, and with an armful of fur.  Never to be outdone by their older and more numerous cousins, Marcus's brood had done their best to entertain and amuse their aunt, with varying degrees of success.

   Marcus had three girls, Margaret (Meggie) age four, Elsa age three, and Zoë age sixteen months.  They were perfect little copies of their parents, having Marcus's dark chestnut hair and deep blue eyes, and Grace's endless amounts of energy, curiosity, and laughter.

   Deeply delighted with their gifts, Meggie had surprised Winn with a present of her own.  "Auntie Winn!  Auntie Winn!  Come see what we _gots_ you!"  She had taken Winn's hand in her own chubby one, and proceeded to pull her to what appeared to be an outdoor woodshed.  

   The two were followed closely by Elsa who was chattering happily, "Aun'win, Aun'win, Aun'win gonna see!"  The child hadn't quite gotten her "T's" down yet.  Zoë, demanding to come along, had already taken up residence in Winn's arms.  

   Opening the door to the woodshed, Elsa and Meggie scampered inside, giggles soon degenerating into "No, **_I_** wanna give it to her!"  

   Peering into the dark, Winn called, "Why don't you both bring it out?"

   Several seconds later the two girls reappeared, Meggie in front with her arms in back of her and Elsa standing closely behind.  "You gotta kneel down, Auntie Winn.  If you don't it'll roll off."

   Wondering, _What in the world have the girls gotten me, Winn did as she was told.  "Ok, now hold out your arms and close your eyes."  Once again following the orders of her small audience, Winn was tempted to peek as she felt something settle into her arms.  Whatever it was, it was alive._

   "Can I open my eyes now?"

   "Yes."

   Winn opened her eyes to find a puppy of indeterminate origin in her lap.  Zoë, delighted to be so close to the tiny furball, started to bang it on the head.  Gently moving Zoë from her lap to the ground, Winn reached to pick up the tiny bundle.

   It was definitely a dog.  Discreetly looking between the animal's legs, she saw that it was a female.  It had wiry grey hair, surprisingly blue eyes, and a very pink tongue.  Its ears flopped over a little as if they had gotten tired of standing up straight.  It was currently occupied by smelling at Winn's clothing.  Stopping and looking up at her it yipped.  Winn, against her better judgment, was in love. 

   "Oh girls, she's beautiful.  Where did you find her?"

   Margaret, being the more outgoing of the sisters, said, "Daddy took us out last week to get a kitty, and the place we went? They had puppies too, and Elsa and I thought we should get you one since you live all alone."  Elsa, losing interest in the conversation, went running back to the house, presumably to find the kitten the girls had gotten.

   "Who told you I live all alone?"  Winn was curious as to who had said such a thing.  She lived with Grandfather, and she traveled.  She was rarely alone.

   "Papa and Mamma were talking, and Papa said that it wasn't good for you to live alone, and that you needed to find someone.  So Elsa and I decided to find someone for you.  Did we do a good job?"  Her niece's face was so earnest, that Winn smiled and said, "Of course you did.  You did an excellent job.  What do you think I should name this little lady?"

   Meggie's face screwed up in concentration.  _To bad their father isn't nearly as adorable.  What is it with people poking about in my life lately?  I'm going to give that man a piece of my mind that will –_

   "How about 'Pigeon'?"

   "That sounds like a wonderful name.  How did you choose it?"

   "Well, Great-Grandpapa says that no proper Morgan names anything 'cept after birds.  How come I'm not named after a bird?"  Meggie was looking somewhat confused, as if the idea had just occurred to her.

   "You should ask your father that.  Come on, let's go inside.  I think your sister wants to show me your kitten."  Picking up Pigeon in one hand and taking Zoë's hand in the other, Winn and her niece made their way back to the house.

   "We named the kitty Kiwi."  

   "I'm sure you did.  That's a very proper Morgan name."

Making her way up the stairs on silent feet, Winn was careful not to wake her sleeping burden.  Having been fully assured that the pup was housebroken, Winn entered her room and shut the door behind her.  

   A lamp was burning on her nightstand and the moon was shining in through the uncovered windows.  By their light, Winn made up a bed for the pup in a basket she had purloined from the entryway.  Using one of the numerous blankets in the room as padding, she set Pigeon down.  _Pigeon, what a wonderfully typical Morgan name.  Grandfather and his obsession with birds.  "I think we'll be calling you Pige for short, youngster," Winn whispered.  _

   Taking care to lock her door to forestall any early morning visitors, Winn stripped down to her camisole and climbed into bed.  She was half asleep when she heard the quiet yip from the floor.  Reaching down, she picked up the forlorn Pige.  The puppy quickly took advantage of the situation to settle herself against Winn's stomach (Winn liked to sleep on her side).  Then with each keeping the other company, the two females drifted into sleep.

It was half past ten when Winn woke up the following morning.  What she saw made her immediately leap out of bed.  Pige had discovered the joys of shoes.  At the moment she was working diligently to get her mouth around the toe of one of Winn's boots.  Rescuing her beloved boot, Winn scolded the pup.  "No, there will be none of that, youngling.  If you must chew on a shoe, here's one of my slippers.  Content yourself with that and leave my _real shoes alone."_

   Winn quickly got ready for the day, finding another set of clothes like her shipboard ones in the very bottom of her trunk.  This set had a white shirt, charcoal grey pants, and a light violet tunic.  _Thank you,_ Winn thought to whoever had included the clothes in her limited selection.   

   Getting dressed quickly, Winn eyed her hair as she started to put it up.  Deciding against her normal style, she braided it into a crown around her head.  That done, she started to leave the room alone.  Hearing Pige's whimpers of protest at being left behind, Winn doubled back and scooped her up.

   Trotting down the stairs to see if breakfast was still set out, Winn ran into Elizabeth.  "Good morning.  Do you want to join me for breakfast or have you eaten already?"

   Totally ignoring the question, Elizabeth exclaimed in delight, "Is that a puppy?  Where ever do you get it?  It's so adorable!  Is it a he or a she?"

   "Umm . . . Yes it's a puppy.  From Meggie and Elsa.  It's a she."

   "Oh . . ." Elizabeth cooed.  "What's her name?"

   "Pigeon."

   Elizabeth laughed.  "What is it with your family and this strange compulsion to name things after birds?"

   "It's Grandfather's thing.  He's somewhat obsessed with birds.  Did I tell you that he had an aviary built last year so he could keep some of the more rare varieties close by?"

   "Now that you mention it, I think you may have written something like that.  Are you hungry?  I was just coming up to wake you; Julia wants to put breakfast away.  And Will sent a note around saying that if you still wanted to 'duel' he'd be free this afternoon."

Winn ended up fencing with Will several times over the course of the week, never managing to last more than a half hour in battle.  Will, upon seeing how weak Winn's offence was, offered to teach her a few tricks, which she picked up quickly and gratefully.

   One day, after a particularly grueling lesson, teacher and student took a break sitting down with Elizabeth who was playing with Pige.  "Look at the paws on that beast," Will said.  "It's going to grow into a monster."

   "Tell me about it," Winn said glumly even as she picked up the canine who was begging her for attention.  "I wish Marcus had said something about her pedigree before I fell in love with her."  She looked at her companions.  "She's half Irish wolfhound and half Airedale.  The man who was giving her and her litter mates away happens to breed both.  He told me that it's very likely that Pigeon here will grow to be from somewhere between three and three and-a-half feet tall at the shoulder.  That's more than half as tall as I am."

   "Well, she seems particularly dedicated to you.  Maybe you could train her as a guard dog."

   "If she remains this affectionate I won't have to," Winn kept moving her head to avoid Pige's attempts to clean her face.  "She'll end up knocking over whoever comes near her just for the opportunity to lick them.  People will avoid her or run the risk of being licked out of existence."

And so the days until the wedding passed.  The arrival of the sun every morning revealed the heightened anxiety in both Will and Elizabeth.  By the day before the wedding everyone, including Pige, was just ready for the event to be over.

   Winn found herself commandeered to make flower chains of all things.  They were meant to be hung over the reception area, along with lengths of colored silk and bunting.  And, Winn thought it was a good idea, in theory.  The practical application of the idea, however, nearly drove her mad before she rebelled and took herself away to the beach.

   Apologizing to Elizabeth on her way out, Winn made a clean getaway and spent the rest of the day, from noon until after sunset, walking along the water's edge and wondering where and what she was going to be doing after she left Port Royal.

It was a little known fact (or perhaps it was so widely known that everyone discarded it) that the island just a mile from the mouth of Port Royal's harbor was riddled with caves and crevasses, many of them large enough for a ship to take harbor in.  Jack, one of the few people who took such advantage of that knowledge, steered his ship into one such rift with the ease of practice. 

   "Capt'n, are you sure that this is a good idea?  Takin' harbor so near Port Royal and its garrison?  Should we be caught in here it would be the gallows for all of us."  Gibbs stood nearby fretting and fussing.

   "I've explained this to you once already, Gibbs.  This is the best place to take anchor while I'm ashore.  The Navy patrols this area but once every fortnight, the last time they did being five days gone.  That's plenty of time for me to spend a day or two ashore before we leave without bein' detected."  

   Judging they were far enough inside the cleft as to be nearly invisible to any passing ships, Jack called to his crew, "Drop anchor, boys.  We'll pass the night here.  I shall go ashore tomorrow."  Returning to his conversation with Gibbs, Jack made the second of his three points for staying here.  "Secondly, no one will be looking for pirates to berth here, seeing as how it is but a mile from Port Royal.  Pirates usually sail in, rack, sack, and vandalize, and then sail back out.  They don't stop a mile from the target and take a breather.  And lastly," reaching this point, his favorite one, Jack spread his hands in an idiosyncratic manner, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow.  Trust me."

As the setting sun announced the onset of dusk to the small seaside community of Port Royal, pirate captain extraordinaire, Jack Sparrow, gave the last of his instructions to his gathered crew.  Content that he would find a crew waiting for him when he returned, Jack dismissed them, then walked to a nearby launch.

   Gibbs and Ana Maria followed behind, expecting to receive some final orders.  "Now, I am leaving the two of you in command of m'ship," Jack said.  Turning to look at two of the few people he trusted with his ship, and perhaps with his life (although he wouldn't want to test that theory), Jack put a hand on the shoulder of each.  "If some element of this plan should run astray, go to Tortuga and I will do my best to meet you there."  Letting go of the gravity he had assumed to emphasize his point, Jack said with his normal jovially, "However, since I am the one who made the plan, there is little that should go amiss.  I shall rendezvous with you here in three days."  

   Together the three pirates lowered the boat into the water.  "Luck, Capt'n."  Gibbs grasped Jack's hand, then left to dismiss the crew to their supper.  Ana Maria took his place in front of Jack.

   Grasping Jack's hand in the same manner that Gibbs had, Ana Maria said in a confidential voice, "Whatever it is that you've got planned Jack, remember that Mistress Winn was just reacting to her circumstances.  I know her type – she's not as strong as she appears, but she does have a core of iron.  You push her too far, and she might just make you regret it."

   Jack smirked at the thought of five-foot-nothing Winn making him sorry for getting revenge.  The most she'd be able to do was give him a thorough tongue lashing.  He knew that she was capable of violence, but that knowledge had been used as he laid his plans.  "I've yet to make the acquaintance of any female who could truly make me regret a thing, other than your luminous self, of course.  I'm Captain Jack Sparrow – she's the one who needs to watch herself."  Taking leave of Ana Maria, Jack hopped into the launch and started rowing his way towards a secluded stream to the north of Port Royal.

   Ana Maria watched from the deck of the _Pearl_, thinking, _I hope that self-assured son of the sea doesn't get himself in over his head_.  But even as she was thinking that, she knew that it was in vain to hope for such a thing.  As Jack had pointed out, he was indeed Captain Jack Sparrow, and as such he was not all-knowing.  Trouble had a way of finding him, and Winn Morgan was nothing but trouble.

Jack covered the rough mile and a half between his ship and his chosen landing point relatively quickly.  That was the good thing about working on one's ship even though one was the captain – it kept you reasonably fit.  While he carried no light, the moon had just reached full the night before, so there was plenty of light for him to navigate by.

   Reaching shore, Jack quickly and quietly beached his boat.  There was no need to hide it for this stretch of beach was surrounded by cliffs that were difficult to traverse, and it was unlikely that anyone would walk this far north on a pleasure jaunt.  As he was picking up the bag that contained the bottle of rum and a select assortment of Winn's belongings, Jack heard the yap of a small dog and a woman's voice slowly growing closer.  Silently moving into the shadows of some nearby undergrowth and laying down on his belly to take full advantage of the protection it offered, Jack cursed under his breath.  _What kind of feather brained female roamed secluded beaches at night with only a small dog as company?_

_   Hopefully the kind that won't take notice of a rowboat lying abandoned on an equally abandoned beach, _answered his inner voice as the dog he had heard came into view.  It started sniffing the sand, apparently catching Jack's scent.  Just as it was about to dive into the undergrowth in search of him, the woman's voice distracted it.  _And now I know what type of woman._

   "Pige!  Don't you even think of it.  There is no way that I am searching for you in all that, youngling.  You lose yourself in that and I am going home without you.  Come back here, 'tis time we headed back to the house.  They must be done with the preparations by now and I haven't eaten since midday."  Jack nearly groaned in suppressed agony when his fears were realized.  _This is pretty much the worse thing that can happen at this point.  What is **she doing here?  This really must be the last time I underestimate her.**_

   The dog went racing to its owner, who was of course, no less than Winn herself.  She was once again wearing the grey and lavender outfit that she had found in her trunk.  While she had braided her hair around her head that morning, it was starting to come lose in the wind that had picked up with the setting of the sun, lose stands blowing around her face.  She had removed her glasses some time ago, and was barefoot, as she had decided to leave her boots at the Swann's.

   Pige was frolicking around said feet, bouncing and panting with the uncountable enthusiasm that all puppies and young children have.  Jack watched as Winn tried unsuccessfully to catch the pup up in her arms.  After her third failed attempt, Winn, brushing stray hairs out of her face, said in a rather frosty voice, "Pigeon.  Come here this instant."  Jack and the dog both recognized trouble when they heard it. 

   Pige, crawling forward and making apologetic doggy sounds, finally allowed her mistress to pick her up.  Scratching the dog between the ears, Winn muttered, "For all that you're listening to me, I should have named you Jack, or at the very least Sparrow.  That might suit a flighty thing like you a bit better, huh girl?"  While her words sounded irritated, she was smiling slightly, though it was probably because of her pet and not from the thought of Jack Sparrow.

   Sparing only a glance for the boat (after all, it _was_ getting late), Winn set off back down the beach, leaving Jack undiscovered in the undergrowth.  Getting up from his stomach, Jack watched from his shelter as Winn's brisk walk led her closer to Port Royal with every barefooted step.  _Fool woman, he thought.__  I thought you had more sense, Winnie.  I'm disappointed to find you out here all by yourself.  What if I had been dangerous?  Sighing, Jack decided that he had better follow at a discreet distance to ensure that Winn made it back to her lodgings safely._

   Winn looked back only once, feeling as if she were being watched, but that was ridiculous, she told herself.  The beach was deserted, she was alone but for her dog, and besides, who was there to be following her?

Jack followed Winn all the way back to the Swann's, albeit from a block or so behind her.  The trip had been somewhat uneventful – the few people they had come across being either to drunk or to pretentious to stop, or even look at Winn.  At one point Jack had almost stopped following her, but the thought of what _might_ happen if he did kept him on Winn's trail.  _After all, it'll be somewhat difficult to get decent revenge if the woman is dead._  He refused to admit to any other motivation than that.

   Upon reaching the gates that enclosed the Swann residence, Winn stopped and set Pigeon down.  The feeling of being followed had never gone away during her trip.  She'd had to consciously stop herself from looking behind her every few minutes.  She refused to look like a victim, even if it was all in her imagination.  But now, having reached her temporary home, Winn stopped to look out at the view available from the road.  

   While it may have looked as if she was relaxed and enjoying the view, she was actually searching for any mysterious figures out of the corners of her eyes.  For a moment she thought she had seen something, but when she turned her head to look, it was gone.  With a sigh and a shiver she collected her pet and headed indoors.

_   Why does it feel as if something is hanging over my head?  Something more than just the wedding?_  Winn climbed the stairs to her room.  Undressing, she lit several more candles so she had light to sketch by.  The moon was just setting into the bay, and she wanted to draw it.

   Sitting down in the room's window seat, she started to draw the scene.  The moon was half-hidden by one of the rocky promontories that enclosed the harbor, its light streaming across the water.  The taverns and buildings were lit by internal firelight.  It was a rather bucolic vista, but a memory none the less.

   As Winn sat and drew, Jack stood outside the walls to the Governor's residence and watched Winn.  The knowledge of which room was hers would come in handy tomorrow during the wedding.  _If Winnie thinks that no one can tell what she's wearing, or rather, what she's not, then she's sadly mistaken._  While Jack wasn't necessarily complaining (he was rather enjoying the view), he did wonder if the girl had as much sense as he had accredited to her.  Most ladies wouldn't be caught dead in their encumbering nightgowns and voluminous robes – this one sat in plain sight wearing next to nothing.

   Shaking his head, Jack settled in to wait until the lights had gone off in Winn's room.  Once they had, and Winn was presumably out of trouble and safely in bed, Jack headed down to the waterfront for a large mug of ale and some sleep.


	10. A Wedding and a Reunion

**Disclaimer:  This is the song that never ends, I own no pirates in the Caribbean . . .**

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**Last Time:**

   As Winn sat and drew, Jack stood outside the walls to the Governor's residence and watched Winn.  The knowledge of which room was hers would come in handy tomorrow during the wedding.  _If Winnie thinks that no one can tell what she's wearing, or rather, what she's not, then she's sadly mistaken._  While Jack wasn't necessarily complaining (he was rather enjoying the view), he did wonder if the girl had as much sense as he had accredited to her.  Most ladies wouldn't be caught dead in their encumbering nightgowns and voluminous robes – this one sat in plain sight wearing next to nothing.

   Shaking his head, Jack settled in to wait until the lights had gone off in Winn's room.  Once they had, and Winn was presumably out of trouble and safely in bed, Jack headed down to the waterfront for a large mug of ale and some sleep.

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The day of the wedding dawned bright and early, as dawns are apt to do.  For Winn, who needed to roll out of bed as soon as the first pink tinge of morning crept into the sky, it was torture.  Her eyes burned from a lack of sleep, seeing as how she had gotten perhaps four hours of it at the most.  And those four hours had been anything but restful.  Indeed, restless would be a better way to describe them; her dreams had been full lurking threats.

   She was trying to find someone, but she didn't know who, and they always seemed out reach.  It had driven her crazy, not knowing who she was looking for, and she just knew that if she could only catch a glimpse of them, everything would be solved – the sense of impending doom would vanish.  Needless to say, she had found nothing and no one.  

   To her not so great surprise, none of those feelings disappeared with the coming of the sun.  Looking out her window midway though her morning routine, she saw that the sky was more red than pink.  _Red sky in morning, sailors take warning._  Dressing in a simple dove grey cotton dress, and leaving her hair in its nightly braid, Winn went downstairs in search of breakfast, Pige following close behind.

   Pouring herself a cup of coffee (to which she added a great quantity of cream and sugar), Winn sat down at the breakfast table, her head in her hands.  Giving a great sigh, she took a sip of her caffeinated drink, and made a face.

   "I thought you didn't like coffee."  Elizabeth had come into the room unnoticed.  She seated herself across the table from Winn.

   "I don't, however without the caffeine in it, I'll never make it through today.  Unlike some people I don't have a store of nervous energy to keep me going."  Winn took another sip of coffee.

   "Winn, the sky, do you think . . ." Elizabeth trailed off.

   Seeing that her friend had a good start on working herself into a nervous breakdown before the two o'clock ceremony, Winn did her best to allay any fears.  "Relax.  I doubt that we'll have any rain before four.  It might get a little windy, but who's not used to that?  By the time it starts to rain, the ceremony will be over and we'll be inside for the reception dinner."  Elizabeth reached across the table to give Winn's hand a squeeze of gratitude.

   "You look awful.  Did you sleep well?"  Now that one concern had been laid aside, Elizabeth started to worry for her friend.

   "Well enough not to fall flat on my face from exhaustion during this endurance test that you and Will and the rest of polite society have the nerve to call a 'joyous occasion'.  Why couldn't you get married in a pirate ceremony?  A few words from a captain, everyone gets drunk, then everyone leaves.  None of this standing around for hours on end making senseless small talk with people you can't stand but pretend to like.  And the only dancing involved are drunken jigs.  It would have made things ever so much easier on your poor old friend."

   "Well, we did consider it.  There was just the whole fact that it's not at all legal, Father would have never approved. . ."

   "You're no fun."

   "And you're complaining just to hear yourself talk.  Let's go start getting ready."  Elizabeth pulled Winn up from her chair.  "They've warmed water for our baths, and the dress you chose is being ironed as we speak."

   Grabbing an apple and an orange as she was marched out of the room, Winn muttered, "Weddings.  I just _love weddings.  I think I need a drink."  For some unexplainable reason, this made Elizabeth laugh.  "Just you wait, Elizabeth Swann!  I'll pay you back for this some day!"_

   "You'd have to get married first, and you've already sworn that you're never going to do so.  Or have you changed your mind?"

   Muttering things about people with long memories, Winn allowed herself to be led to her room.

Three hours later, Winn managed to escape.  Hemmed in by petticoats, shifts, and a corset that was far tighter than she preferred, she ran downstairs.  The laughter of the two maids who had been assigned to help her get ready for the wedding followed her.  Reaching the library, she slammed the door behind her, and then spent several moments leaning against it, panting heavily.  _Who dresses in something so tight that they're in danger of passing out?  Why am **I dressed in such a thing?  It's not as if I need it to enhance my figure or to tame any curves.  This is ridiculous.**_

   Once she no longer felt as if she were going to pass out, Winn started looking for a decent book to read.  Grabbing a copy of the "Arabian Nights" from a shelf, she nestled herself into an overstuffed chair.  Opening the cover of the book, she rapidly lost herself in a world of dijinns, roks, magicians, beautiful maidens, and brave young men.

   And hour passed before anyone dared interrupt her.  "Mister Turner, it's not decent.  No, you shouldn't –"  Will closed the door behind him.  Looking around the enormous second floor room, he spotted Winn.  So deeply sunk into her book was she, that she hadn't noticed his entrance.  Walking across the room to where she sat, Will said, "Playing truant are we?  The maids are aflutter and are positively convinced that the world will end posthaste if you do not go back upstairs and finish getting ready."

   Without looking up from her book, Winn drawled, "Then let the world end.  I refuse to be seen in public in the fashion they insist on forcing upon me.  There was talk of powdering my hair, Will, and of applying face paints.  I will not have it."

   "You're not making things any easier on Elizabeth you know."  At that, Winn did look up.

   "That was entirely unfair."

   "Yes, well.  The sanity of my future bride is at stake, did you actually expect me to let you hide in here for the rest of the day?"

   "Yes.  It's not as if anyone would actually know I wasn't there.  Or care that I wasn't."

   "Elizabeth and I would."

   "Ooh. . . ." Winn glared at the man in front of her.  "Fine.  But you owe me for this William Turner.  However, if you think I'm coming down here covered in powder and paint, let me set you straight right here and right now.  No such thing will be happening as long as I still draw breath, as difficult as that might be at the moment.  Have I made myself clear?"  Getting up awkwardly, Winn started towards the door, Will following behind.

   "I'd never expect such a thing out of you.  I do have some sense."

   "Hmph."

The next time that anyone saw Winn, she was completely and fully dressed in a fashion that befitted her station as the bride's best friend.  Her glasses were nowhere to be found, Will having confiscated them before going to dig her out of the library.  Her hair was fixed in a complicated knot on the top of her head, with a few stray ringlets framing her face, after they had been ironed and starched into fashionable compliance.  A touch of kohl had been applied to her eyes (over the strenuous and thunderous objections of the woman whose face they were in), and it made Winn's eyes seem as deep and mysterious as her glasses had made them seem dull.

   But it was the dress that caught people's eyes.  Bronze in color, it emphasized the green in her eyes, and the rich silk it was made of shimmered inconspicuously under the lights.  Froths of blond lace spilled from bodice and cuffs.  Black pearl earbobs could be seen at her lobes, and a diminutive charm of sapphires and seed pearls hung on delicate gold chain around her neck.

   Self-consciously, Winn made her way down the stair case with a mere twenty minutes to spare before the guests started to arrive.  Having made her way successfully down almost three flights of stairs in her heeled slippers, Winn tripped on the last one.  Before she could fall flat on her face, she was caught.  Looking up at her rescuer, a nearby footman, Winn gave her thanks.  

   Removing herself from the scene of her narrowly avoided humiliation, Winn walked into the parlor where Will was waiting for her.  Heading directly towards the brandy decanter, Winn heard Will choke on his own drink.  Smiling humorously as she deftly poured a drink, Winn said, "If you think I look good, just wait until you see Elizabeth, who just happens to send her love."

The sun had long since set before Winn made it up to her room.  As she had predicted, rain had set in not long after four, so no one had actually _seen the sun set, so perhaps it was better to say that it was nearly ten o'clock at night before Winn escaped the lilting strains of music that could be heard in the ballroom.  It drifted on transparent flesh to invade every part of the house, but was nearly inaudible when Winn closed and locked the door._

   The ceremony had lasted nearly two hours.  If that wasn't bad enough, she had then been made to stand in the reception line with the new Turners and Governor Swann.  It had taken a little over an hour to greet all the guests, Winn silently brooding on the fact that her presence was unnecessary the entire time.  After that had been the ten course wedding supper, another two hours spent in agonizingly boring and intrusive company.  But she had absolutely drawn the line at dancing.  She was not about to let strange men touch her.

   Resisting the urge to throw up immediately, Winn threw herself onto her bed.  Not only had she had to deal with strangers, this time without support from her friends, but she'd had to endure the attentions of every young male gathered for what was being proclaimed the social wedding of the season, despite the fact that the groom was a blacksmith.  As the night had worn on and the drinks had started to add up, their attentions had grown harder and harder to avoid.  When the last one had tried to openly grope her on the terrace (she had been _dying _for fresh air), Winn had called it a night and gone up to her room using the servant's stairs.

   Taking deep breaths to calm her stomach, Winn felt Pigeon nosing around at her side.  The poor animal had been locked in Winn's room for the duration of the wedding and its festivities.  Clearly she had missed her.  Rolling onto her side to better pet the pup, Winn felt something hard dig into her ribs.  Looking down in surprise, she found a recorder sitting on her bed – her recorder.  The one she had left on the _Pearl.  Looking up she saw a sword resting against the window embrasure, and her sketch book lying open next to it._

   Slowly, hesitantly, she got up.  _Please tell me this isn't happening.  Tell me he isn't here.  It was dark in her room, the only light coming from a single lamp burning on a nearby table.  The rest of the room was cloaked in shadows and gloom.  Walking to the table, she picked the lamp up and went to investigate the objects by the window._

   It was indeed her sword, the one that had been left on the Black Pearl, in the doubtful care of Captain Sparrow.  But what she saw next made her stomach lurch alarmingly – her sketch book was opened to the last page.  The page where she had drawn **his eyes.  Turning the page, trying to hide what she had drawn, Winn discovered that a picture had been added to her book.**

   It was her, but not drawn in her style.  Her pictures were full of detail and shadow and shape.  This was a collection of fluid, graceful lines which ran together, creating the illusion that the entire portrait was formed out of moonbeams and mist.  

   But no matter how different the style was, the scene was easy to recognize.  It was her, standing in the garden, watching a couple take their vows as man and wife.  The perspective was that of someone standing in her window and looking down into the garden.  Sticking her head out the open window, Winn promptly threw up.

   When she had emptied her stomach of the little she had eaten that day.  Winn closed her window, making sure to throw the catch, and then moved to her bedside where there was a carafe of water.  Not bothering to pour it into the glass, Winn drank straight from the container.  Spitting the water into her chamber pot, Winn kneeled on the floor, unable to face standing up.

_   That man.  How dare he come here?  Hasn't he done enough already?_  Exhausted, sick with nervous energy, and drained from the trials of the day, Winn couldn't even work up the energy to be mad.  Instead she found herself near tears, which were things she hadn't shed in over a decade.  _Why?  Why come after me?  Why do this?_

   Feeling dizzy and overwhelmed, Winn slowly gathered her strength to stand up.  She couldn't think about this now, not when she felt so defeated.  Gaining her feet, she leaned against the wall before trying to walk to her bed.  To her great surprise, the wall she leaned on reached out to grab her.  "What's the matter, luv? Did you have too much to drink or are you simply happy to see me?"  Left with no other recourse, Winn ripped herself free and promptly threw up again, fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) reaching the chamber pot before she made a mess.

It had been fairly easy to break into Winn's room, despite its being on the third floor of the Governor's residence.  A trellis of bougainvillea gave him something to climb, and Winn being the person she was, had left her window wide open.  The difficult part had been avoiding the notice of the many servants who came sweeping in and out of the garden with numerous flower arrangements, chairs, and who knows what else.

   Once the ceremony actually started, Jack had watched with curiosity and amusement at the follies of respectable citizens such as Will and Elizabeth.  Quickly growing bored as the minister droned on and on about the "sacredness of the marriage sacrament" and responsibility and so forth, Jack had prowled around Winn's room.

   He had quickly found her notebook of sketches, and deciding that leaving his own inside the book would be the perfect crowning achievement to his revenge, he had settled low in the window seat and commenced a sketch of the woman who had so publicly beaten him.  

   However, before he could start, a sketch had caught his eye.  _Was that there the last time I looked through this?_  Deciding that is hadn't, Jack turned back to the page.  He was surprised to find himself looking at his own portrait.  _Winnie, I didn't know you cared._

   Jack had not planned on being caught by Winn as he left his revenge in her room.  He had planned to leave some items, and perhaps a note, behind to let her know that he did not appreciate being outmaneuvered.  Then he was going to leave, put her out of his mind forever, and go on with his life.

   When Winn had come in so early in the evening, he had hidden in the shadow of the bed curtains, hoping that she had just come up to grab a fan or something.  When she threw herself on the bed, he had started planning what he would do if he were caught, and when she had thrown up for the first time, he had tried to get out the door.  She had turned from the window before he could get there, but luckily she was in no state of mind to pay attention to her immediate surroundings, so he thought he might still have a chance to escape.  When she had leaned against him, he chosen the only option left open to him – action.

   Grabbing her, he had asked, "What's the matter, luv?  Did you have too much to drink, or are you simply happy to see me?"  Expecting some sort of comeback, Jack was surprised when Winn ripped herself free to throw up once again.  Her dry heaves were painful to listen to.  _If you can't handle it, don't drink it._  

   There were two parts of Jack, warring against each other.  One part told him to leave while he still could.  This bout of nausea was unlikely to improve Winn's temper.  The second part, the part of him that still hung on to his few morals concerning women, told him to get the girl into bed before he left.  Caught up in his internal debate, still standing halfway between the bed and the door, Jack was taken by surprise when Winn spoke.

   "Not enough . . ." she mumbled, head resting on a forearm.

   "What?"  Jack was lost.

   "You asked if I'd had too much to drink," Winn reminded him in a voice that was rough and low.  Jack had to strain to hear it.  Winn started to stand, refusing to appear any weaker than she already did before her nemesis.  The effort clearly cost her much of whatever energy she had left; she had to brace herself against the wall to gain her feet.  The color drained from her face; in the lamplight Jack thought she looked incredibly fragile, like a stranger.

   Once upright, she removed her hand from the wall, swaying a little to regain her balance in her unsteady footwear.  "As much as I would like to trade barbs with you at the moment, I find that going to bed holds greater attraction for me."  Walking past Jack, Winn made her way to her bed.  Sitting on the edge, she started to remove her shoes.

   "Why didn't you say so earlier, Winnie?  I would have been glad to oblige you."  Trying to make this situation seem more normal, Jack reached for the buckle to the belt that held his pistol and dagger.

   Glancing up, Winn looked him in the eye, her own eyes gaining back a little life as she caught the meaning of his comment.  "I didn't mention it because I have no desire to die of laughter.  Is there a reason that you're still here?"  Having removed her shoes, Winn stood back up, a bit more steadily, her tempter slowly coming to life.

   "This is the thanks I get for risking life and limb to return your effects to you, luv?"

   Walking to the vanity that was placed near the wardrobe, Winn said, "I see but two things I own have been returned to me, Captain Sparrow, things that are easily replaceable.  If that's the limit of your charity I would prefer that you keep my things and conveniently remain a part of my preferably distant past."  Taking off the black pearl earrings and the necklace she was wearing, Winn placed them in the jewelry box on the vanity's surface.

   Reaching in back of her, Winn started to undo the laces of her dress.  "Blasted corset," she muttered.  "Whatever man invented this devilish device ought to be sentenced to an eternity of wearing one."  Getting the laces of the dress undone, she shrugged out of it.  Leaving it laying on the floor around her feet, she started on the laces to her corset, desperate to get the thing off.

   Jack watched this whole procedure with a mixture of surprise and amusement.  Did the silly chit actually think that he would stand by like a gentleman as she undressed in front of him?  Clearly he had been too easy on her.  "Luv, what do you think you're doing?"  Winn met Jack's eyes in the mirror.

   "Are you really so dimwitted as to not be able to figure that out, Captain?"

   "Oh, let me assure you that I know exactly what it is that you are doing.  I'm more curious as to why you're doing it while I'm standing right here, unless you're trying to convince me that despite your protests, you want us to do it, in which case I would be more than happy to assist you."

   Whirling around, her anger and weariness showing, Winn snapped.  "I've told you once before that trying to convince me that you find me attractive would get you nowhere, Captain.  That is still true.  You're wasting your breath if you think that such idiotic innuendos will intimidate me.  I don't know why you're still here, but I don't particularly care either."

   "Why do you keep insisting that you're unattractive, Winnie?"  Jack started to walk closer, this chance to finally best her too good to pass up.

   "Because I happen to see myself in mirrors, Captain Sparrow.  And furthermore –" a knock on the door interrupted her.

   "Winn?  It's Cat.  Are you all right?  Is there someone in there with you?"

   _I will not be caught with this man in my room. Glaring at Jack, a warning to keep his mouth shut or risk terrible retribution in her eyes, Winn replied, "Cat, I'm fine, just talking to myself.  I didn't sleep well last night.  I found myself desiring some time alone, so I left.  You know that dancing has never been a favorite pastime of mine."  Jack kept advancing on Winn._

   "Do you want me to come in and help you undress?"

   "No, Cat.  I more help than I need at the moment."  There was silence from the other side of the door.  Cursing her slip, Winn continued, "I can't get this dog to leave me alone.  She insists that I pay attention to her just now.  Unfortunately for her, she's out of luck.  I just want to get some sleep."  Glaring at Jack, she hissed, "Will you stop it?"  Jack just laughed softly.

   "If you're sure you're alright . . ." Cat was reluctant to leave, no matter what Winn said.  It didn't sound as if she were alone, or talking to her pet.  Besides, Cat could see shadows moving through the crack between the wood of the door and that of the floor.

   "Yes, Cat.  Thank you for your concern.  Tell Ry good-night for me."  Tired of Jack's prowling advance, Winn pulled out her knife and set in plain sight, a silent warning that she was losing her patience.  Jack stopped.

   Waiting until she heard Cat's retreating footsteps, Winn rounded on Jack.  "Just what do you think it is that you're doing?  Haven't you had enough?  I bested you, you bested me – we're square.  Now if you would kindly jump out my window and leave?"  Determined to ignore Jack come hell or high water, Winn returned to shedding garments.

   Getting the corset off, she started peeling off the layers of petticoats into which she had been forced.  Getting all six off, she sighed in contentment.  She would soon be able to go to bed.  All that remained was to pull the hairpins out of her fancy upsweep.  

   Halfway through this task, Winn jumped.  Jack had placed his hands on her shoulders.  For so annoying a man they felt incredibly warm, soothing and irritating at the same time.  Trying ineffectively to shrug them off, Winn went still as Jack leaned down and whispered in her ear, "If you really saw yourself in this mirror, you'd know that you should have kept yourself dressed, Winnie."

   Winn was at a loss.  No one had ever attempted whatever it was that Jack was attempting.  She didn't know how to deal with this situation, had no idea what to say to make him back off.  She tried to turn, to escape, to fight, anything, but his hands weighted her down.  "Stop it."

   "No, I think we need to settle once and for all whether or not men find you attractive, luv."

   "I disagree, Captain Sparrow.  I think that you need to let me go, and then remove yourself from this room so that I can –"  Jack's head drifter lower, his eyes fixed on hers in the mirror.

   "No, this is a theory that definitely needs to be tested."  Jack turned her around so that she was facing him.  

   "I've managed to live twenty-six years without gathering any evidence such as that which you're suggesting, and I could most likely live for another twent–"  

   Interrupting her mid-sentence, Jack murmured, "You'd be a lot more attractive if you could keep your mouth shut."

   "How dare y–"  Jack's lips stilled her own, silencing her protest in a wave of shock and astonishment.  She stood rigidly still, her arms held away from her body as if she were trying to decide whether she wanted to clobber him or embrace him.

   When Jack noticed that he was still undamaged for the liberties he had so far taken, he pulled away slightly.  "What's the matter, Winnie?" he asked against her lips.  "Cat got your tongue?"  Returning to kiss her, Jack thought, _Just a little bit longer, and then–_

   He never finished the thought.  Clearly Winn had not quite thrown the lock when she had entered her room, for both of her brothers burst into the room.  They moved swiftly towards the surprised couple.  Before they could catch hold of him, Jack whispered to Winn, "Looks as if you were correct, luv.  Had you been truly attractive, I doubt these two fine gentlemen could have diverted my focus from your petite self."

  Acting before her brothers had the chance to restrain her, Winn, with all the strength, confusion, and anger in her 5'4" body, struck Jack in the eye, knocking him back.  Right into the waiting embrace of her brothers.

   Afraid her brothers would try to avenge their little sister (nothing personal, just the way of the world), Winn stopped them cold.  "You touch a single hair on his head and I'll come after you next."  They looked at her in surprise.  Waves of fury radiated from her, her eyes blazed with it.  With her hair half tumbling around her shoulders she looked like some kind of warrior goddess come back to punish those who crossed her.  "This is between the Captain and me, and I _forbid you to enter into it."_

   Her brothers looked at each other.  Neither one wanting to break the news to her.  "You're the oldest, you do it," Marcus whispered to his brother.

   "Yes, but if you die, the Navy will look after your family."  Ry whispered back.  With a silent prayer for his protection, Ry stepped over the still prone body of Jack Sparrow.  "Winn, about that.  Umm . . ."

   "Spit it out, would you?  I have had enough to deal with today and would like to go to bed.  With any luck this will turn out to be a nightmare that I can forget about on the morrow."  Winn was struggling not to raise her voice.  The last thing she needed was an audience to witness all this.

   "Yes, well, it appears as if your Captain Sparrow has caught Grandfather's attention.  I got a letter from him today from the crew of the _Heron_ telling me that I should bring Sparrow to him as soon as could be arranged.  Apparently, Grandfather wants some answers as to why one of his ships came into port without any sails."

   "You're telling me that we're to transport that _man_ to Grandfather's island."

   "Yes, but there's more. . . ."  Winn simply glowered.  "We're to bring him as a guest."


	11. Thoughts and Apologies

**Disclaimer:  Still not mine, although I am enjoying commandeering them for this little venture of mine.  It is highly entertaining.**

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**Basis for the Chapter:**

   "Yes, well, it appears as if your Captain Sparrow has caught Grandfather's attention.  I got a letter from him today from the crew of the _Heron_ telling me that I should bring Sparrow to him as soon as could be arranged.  Apparently, Grandfather wants some answers as to why one of his ships came into port without any sails."

   "You're telling me that we're to transport that _man to Grandfather's island."_

   "Yes, but there's more. . . ."  Winn simply glowered.  "We're to bring him as a guest."

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Winn was not well pleased.  In fact, one might say that the sun appeared dark in her eyes. (And taking into consideration that it was night . . .)  She watched as her brothers picked up a semi-conscious Jack Sparrow from the ground.  She was savagely delighted to see that his left eye was already swelling and turning black.  By tomorrow morning, he'd be hard pressed to see out of it.  _Petite self indeed._

   "Ry, how're we going to him out of here without disrupting the wedding party?" Marcus asked.  He looked at Winn, "We weren't expecting to find him here.  We really weren't expecting you to knock the man senseless."

   Winn just rolled her eyes, trying to contain another outburst.  "That man was born senseless.  Use the servant's stairs.  No one important will be coming up those."  Winn watched as Captain Sparrow collected himself enough to stand without support.  _"Next time you attempt to upset me, I'll take you on, and I'll show no mercy."_  She had to admit the man kept his promises.  Staring him down, refusing to feel a thing, Winn spat, "Get him out of my sight."

  Turning her back, she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her.  Ignoring it, she calmly returned to pulling the pins out of her hair with hands that trembled.  She would be hard pressed to say if it was with anger, exhaustion, or the adrenaline that was still rushing through her.  Hearing the door close behind her guests, she crossed to it, making sure it was locked.  That done, she went to bed.

_"I know her type – she's not as strong as she appears, but she does have a core of iron.  You push her too far, and she might just make you regret it."_  Ana Maria's warning rang in Jack's ears just as surely as the door to the _Kingfisher's brig did.  Too bad he hadn't paid more attention to it the first time he'd heard it.  He definitely was ruing his actions now, but then he hadn't known earlier what he knew now.  _I suppose that's always the trouble with hindsight.__

   "You understand that we need to keep you here until we put out to sea?  After that you'll be free to wander where you will."  Ryan Morgan curiously studied the man who had managed to so upset his sister.  Despite the black eye, he exuded an air common to the Caribbean; a laid back, go with the flow, laissez-faire attitude.

   "Aye."  Jack studied his surroundings.  As brigs went, this one wasn't too bad.  It even had a hammock in which to sleep.  "I appreciate the free lodgings, mate."

   "I'd offer you asylum as well, but I'm afraid that we'll also be lodging my sister on the trip to Grandfather's.  Your best move would be to stay out of her way.  What did you do to make her so upset?"

   Jack studied the man.  "Have we met?  You look somewhat familiar."

   "I've captained the _Kingfisher_ for near ten years.  It's possible that we've crossed paths in Tortuga."

   "Hmm. . ."

   Seeing that no other information was going to be forthcoming, Ry took his leave.  He did have a wife and a brother to answer to for all this.  Unsure of what he was going to tell them, knowing that there was no way he could reasonably (or safely) ask his sister for the tale surrounding this night, Ryan went home.

   Jack listened to the man leave.  _A decent sort really, he's taken all this in stride.  God knows he had reason to come after me after walking in on that little scene.  Settling down in the hammock, Jack started to ponder the information he had recently gained._

   No wonder the blasted woman had never let her last name slip.  It would have saved him a world of trouble if she had.  Morgan.  Winifred _Morgan_. 

_   "You'd never make it as a pirate, luv."  "You might be surprised, Captain."  Surprised indeed.  The little minx._  Despite all the times and all the states of undress in which Jack had caught Winn, he had missed one little thing – the brand on her upper right arm.  A bird of prey, claws extended, pouncing on its victim, a ship at sea.  The brand made famous by a rather famous pirate.  _"Pirates, like dogs, can smell fear.  Although I don't entirely believe Grandfather when it comes to that."  _

   "By the Code of the Order of the Brethren, set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew," Jack recited from memory.  It was something any pirate worth his stolen salt had memorized.  "Winnie is Morgan's granddaughter."

   _"However, I will tell you that my grandfather will not be pleased when he hears of this.  Remember that, should you ever have enough sense to rue this."  Once again, Captain Jack Sparrow, a man who claimed to learn from past mistakes, had grossly underestimated his opponent._

For the second night in a row, Winn Morgan got little sleep.  As much as she wished she could blame the excitement of the past day, or the thought of leaving in the morning, possibly the moon being in her eyes, or even Pige making whimpering sounds in her sleep, Winn was usually honest with herself.  The reason she couldn't sleep was that she could still feel on her lips the pressure of her first kiss, and could still hear in her ears the confirmation of all her fears.

   _Why do I keep **on about this?  The man is a pirate, pirates lie, and he enjoys doing anything and everything he can to get a rise out of me.  That's what tonight was - a mind game.  ****It should mean no more and no less to me than anything else the insufferable man has done.  But it did.  Changing positions for the seventh or eighth time inside an hour, Winn opened her eyes – having them shut wasn't doing her much good.  **_

   _But that's the problem.  Everything the man does or says simply means **too ****much to me.  It all touches me far more than it should.  Why can't I just ignore the bloody man?  And that was what it all boiled down to really – the fact that this **__one man had managed to get past all her defenses, to crush all her resistance as far as impartiality and unconcern went.  Somehow he had made her care, the bloody scoundrel. _

   Her earlier words came back to haunt her.  _"You touch a single hair on his head and I'll come after you next.  This is between the Captain and myself, and I **forbid** you to enter into it."  Yes, those were the words of detachment and disinterest._

   _So what do I do?  What can I do?  I don't want to care.  I don't want to feel.  Do I let this . . . fascination . . . run its course?  Do I do everything I can to avoid him?  Sighing, Winn closed her eyes; the moon was down, having them open wasn't doing her much good.  _"The last time I checked, lass, pirates were never considered a convenience."_  "Tell me about it."_

   Slowly and fitfully falling asleep, confusion and questions running through her mind even as she slumbered, Winn managed to make it through the night.  And if her dreams held a bit more of Jack Sparrow then they normally did, that's understandable.  It's not everyday that a girl receives her first kiss from a man who may be her enemy . . .

Today, unlike most others, it was easy to get up.  Or, at least to get out of bed since Winn had spent little of the previous night actually _sleeping._  Instead she had passed the night thinking between short bouts of unconsciousness.  After hours of judging actions, weighing words, and reviewing things in the light of hindsight, Winn had come to a single decision – she was a reckless hothead and tended to act without any forethought at all.  But only when it came to Jack Sparrow._  Why?_

   With her family or with her few friends, she . . . she . . . she put on a mask when around them.  She either folded to their requests or she talked her way out of them, but she never said no to them.  She never really spoke her mind.  She said what people expected her to say.  _Why don't I speak my mind?  Is it because I'm afraid to find out what it is that I actually think?_  

   She thought of the stories that she told her nieces and nephews, stories full of dragons and pirates, brave men and women, failures and happily ever afters.  _Why do I tell those stories?  Why, if I find it impossible to believe that happily ever afters really happen?  Am I fooling them by saying they exist, or am I fooling myself when I say that I don't?_

   Sitting there in her bed that night, unsure and confused, her hand sore from its impact with Jack's skull, Winn wondered if anyone ever truly grew up.  For years she had thought that being grown up was the ability to act with consulting everything and everyone, to make decent decisions.  She thought it was being able to depend on one's self – but here she was in a mess of her own making.  A mess that was going to be painful to correct.  _Maybe it's being able to clean up those messes instead of leaving them to get messier._

   _I have to apologize.  The thought was a bitter one.  Not only would she be apologizing to a family member, who would most likely easily excuse her, but she was going to have to apologize to a man who managed to rip off her mask every time they met.  _If it's that undependable, maybe it deserves to come off._  The very thought scared her.  Somewhere, some time over the past years she had forgotten how to live without it.  She had fallen asleep thinking these thoughts, completely exhausted._

   So that's why Winn was awake, dressed, and in the process of packing the last of her belongings when a knock came at her bedroom door.

   Opening it, she found Cat and Grace on the threshold.  Smiling wryly (and without much actual humor) Winn said, "I see those brothers of mine have sent in the cavalry.  Were they afraid that the raging harpy of last night hadn't completely cooled down yet?"

   "No, they just thought it might be prudent to stay out of sight for the time being.  They weren't too sure you'd be feeling hospitable towards their gender at the moment.  Not that they would tell us _why_ you might be upset.  Would you care to?"  Grace's unlimited curiosity was out in full force today.  Winn was clearly short on sleep, and she even appeared to be preoccupied to some extent.  Two men from Ry's crew came into the room, picked up Winn's trunk, and exited.

   "How long do we have before the _Kingfisher_ leaves port?"  She doubted it was enough to tell her story is all its complex and dizzying glory.

   "Hmm . . . that bad, huh?  Sounds like this is a conversation that will have to wait.  You can explain everything to us later."  Cat knew her husband was eager to complete this trip as quickly as was humanly possible.  The thought of having a peeved Winn on his ship for even a little under a week had actually caused him to shudder the night before.

   "Us?" Winn questioned as the three women left the room and the house.

   "Yes, Marcus decided it would be advantageous to send the girls and I on ahead on the _Kingfisher while he finished tying up some lose ends here.  He'll follow in a day, or more likely two."  As she spoke, Grace rested a hand on her belly._

Eyeing Grace's mildly pregnant form uncertainly, Winn asked, "You're not prone to seasickness when you're pregnant, are you?"

   Grace laughed, "Believe it or not, the _only_ time I can ride a ship without getting seasick is when I am pregnant.  It's a joke at the fort that Marcus, one of the youngest and most resourceful captains that His Majesty's royal navy has ever seen, is married what has to be the worst sailor in the entire Caribbean."****

The carriage ride to the waterfront was short in comparison to Winn's sister's ability to talk so early in the morning.  Being short on sleep and naturally **not a morning person, Winn simply watched the greenery pass by her window, ignoring their attempts to draw her into the conversation.  Catherine and Grace both observed her, some concern in their eyes, but each thought that whatever malady that their youngest sister-in-law was suffering from would soon be explained, so they made no attempt to draw her out of her shell.**

   When they boarded the ship, Cat and Grace wouldn't even let Winn go put her pet in her assigned cabin.  Ryan watched as his wife and sister-in-law bundled Winn into his cabin.  They disappeared from view without a glace to spare him.  Shrugging and thinking something about women and gossip, Ry gave the order to raise anchor, cast off from the mooring, and to set sail for a small island in the Bahamas.

   Apparently whatever pow-wow that the womenfolk had been so intent upon having was rapidly discussed and resolved.  An hour after they had entered his cabin, Grace and Winn emerged, Cat standing in the doorway.  Grace left the other two, after a hug for Winn, to go check on her hopefully sleeping children who were interred in the same cabin Winn had occupied days before.  

   Cat gave Winn a kiss on the cheek, then said something in a low voice.  Nodding in her husband's direction, she gave an encouraging smile.  Winn nodded back, grasping Cat's hand.  

   Leaving his wife, Winn came in his direction, her attitude and bearing in stark contrast to what they had been last night.  She wasn't furious, for one thing.  To all appearances she seemed nervous and conciliatory.  Reaching him, she asked, "Can I talk to you for a moment, or do you have things you need to attend to?"

   "You have my full, undivided, and most humble attention."  This brought a bit of a smile to her eyes (which were surprisingly spectacle free) before her countenance became serious again.

   Taking a deep breath, as if to calm her nerves, Winn said, "I just want to apologize for yelling at you last night.  You had done nothing to either raise or deserve my ire and I behaved like an amazingly ungracious child.  And not just that.  I also want to apologize for being so . . . so distant these past few years.  I . . . I was wondering if you would forgive me."  Winn watched the deck, studying her bare feet.

   "Oh, Freddy.  You know I forgive you.  In fact, I think I need to offer my own apology."  Winn looked up, startled, completely unable to form a protest in her surprise.  "Actually, I think we all – Marcus, Richard, and I – need to apologize.  I think we managed to spoil you in our desire to see you happy.  Now, don't start looking at me like that," Winn was glowering.  "You know it's true to some point.  We wanted the best for you, and in doing so we may not have gone about things in the right way.  I think we managed to teach you that the way _we behaved was the way that all men behaved."_

  Winn snorted.  "No, I should have known better than that.  I think that I'm old enough to own up to my own mistakes and messes.  But thanks for the out, even if I'm not taking it."

   Ry grinned.  "What are big brothers for?"  

   Winn suddenly reached out and hugged her brother, something she had rarely done since before he left home to make his own life.  Trying to hold back tears of giddiness and relief, she said, "Thank you."  They remained like that for several moments.

   Pulling away, Winn commented with a laugh and a sniff, "Well, just one more to go."

   "What do you mean?"  Ry was intrigued.  Winn's behavior was highly unusual.

   "I mean that I still need to apologize to our, umm . . . our guest.  Can I have your keys?  I might as well let him out while I'm down there."

   Ry handed his keys over.  "Are you sure that's such a good idea?  What if –"

   "Then I probably deserve it.  Besides, I can take care of myself should the need arise."  Winn looked her brother in the eye.  "This is something I need to do, Ry.  I may not like it, but it still needs to be done."  Ryan nodded in understanding.

   She left her brother, determined to get this last apology over with as quickly and painlessly as possible.  When she was halfway across deck, Ry yelled after her, "It's good to see that you're not peeved, Freddy.  I'm not sure I could have taken that for the entire trip."  Winn made a semi-rude hand gesture at her brother.

   "Just because I like you doesn't mean you can get away with things like that, Ry!  You'd better watch yourself – I still know how to pull a good prank!"  And with that she disappeared down the hatch that led to the brig, her stomach roiling with anxiety and apprehension.  Despite being on her brother's ship, she felt like she was about to beard the lion in his den.  _Let us hope that pirates really **can't** smell fear . . ._

Like Winn, Jack had spent part of the night in contemplation.  Part of it was simply regret that he was unable to inform his ship of a change in plans.  If Winn's grandfather really was the famous Morgan, then this was an opportunity that could not be allowed to pass.  After all, the man was a legend.  Part of it was wonder at how such a tiny woman could deliver such force with such a tiny fist.  _It certainly doesn't seem possible if one just looks at her_.  Other equally idle thoughts occupied the Captain for part of the night.  It wasn't until after he had fallen asleep that he had any _real regrets however._

_   "Looks as if you were correct, luv.  Had you been truly attractive, I doubt these two fine gentlemen could have diverted my focus from your petite self."_  The scene in his dream was markedly slower than it had been in real life.  For just a moment before she had walloped him, Jack had seen straight into Winn's totally unguarded eyes.  In his sleep, he could actually tell what he saw.  They had been utterly bewildered for a second or two, then hurt shone out for about half a second before the anger had set in.  

   Waking after dawn, he thought to himself, _Ok, I probably deserved what I got, that may have been going a little too far.  But what was she expecting me to do, undressing like that?  She's lucky that's **all** she got away with._  

   Caught somewhere between regret and a mixture if rising indignation and self-righteousness, Jack's train of thought was broken by the small clinking sound of keys hitting each other.  Assuming it was Captain Morgan coming to let him out, he raised his hat from his eyes.  _Not the captain, but the cat._  Winn Morgan stood in front of his cell, bottom lip caught between her teeth, uncertainty evident in her very bearing.  The personification of vengeance from the night before was gone, replaced by this.

   Lowering his hat again, Jack asked, "Come to survey your handiwork, Miss Morgan?"

   As he was not looking for her, he missed the look of mingled surprise, sorrow, and guilt in her eyes.  _Why is this so **hard**?   Taking a breath and trying desperately not to reply in kind, Winn said, "No.  Not unless you want to take a look at yours."  When his face turned towards her, Winn held out a hand for his inspection.  Getting up for a closer look he saw that her knuckles were bruised, a few even sported scabs.  "I'm not sure which is harder – your head or my hand."  Winn's voice was almost too quiet to be heard over the creakings of a ship in motion, her lip still caught between her teeth._

   "As interesting as that surely is, I believe that you're interrupting my sleep, Miss Morgan.  If you would be so kind as to leave. . ."  Jack purposely threw her own words back at her.  Upon seeing her, Jack had decided to settle on mild irritation as what he was feeling.

   "I actually came down here so that you could leave . . . or go above decks at least.  We're between four and five miles away from Port Royal.  Has anyone given you breakfast yet?  Because I'm sure that I could find some somewhere if you would give me a moment."  Winn cursed her tongue for betraying her nervousness.  She really didn't need to appear a rambling idiot at the moment.  Deciding that action was better than talking, she reached out to unlock the door.  Jack's hand intercepting hers made her jump, a scream just barely contained behind her locked lips.

   "Are you sure that's a good idea, lass?  Bein' down here, all alone with a pirate whom you've just happened to have wounded recently?  What makes you think I won't wrest these keys from you then lock _you in here?  Or do something worse?"  Jack's voice was low, even more intense than it had been after their sword fight._

   Winn started to tremble, the anxiety getting to her.  She had never seen him act like this, and she was unsure of how to deal with it.  Forcing some iron into her spine, determined not to appear too weak, she said in the same quiet voice she'd been using, "I've decided to stop assuming anything when it comes to your actions, Captain Sparrow.  All I can do is hope that you won't hurt me, but even I can't say that I deserve to get off scot-free for what I did."

   Jack examined her, noticing that her knuckles were white with restrained action, that her hand was trembling in his, that her feet were free of their ever-present boots, and that her glasses were nowhere to be found on her person.  Realizing what it all meant, Jack let her go.  Tiredly he asked, "What's wrong, luv?  Come to play the penitent to a pirate?"

   Winn cursed silently as she unlocked the door to the cell with a hand that refused to quit trembling.  "More along the lines of an apology, Captain Sparrow.  If you even want to hear one, that is."

   Jack stepped out of the cell.  Now she was face, well, head to chest with a very unpredictable man.  Without her boots, with him in boots, she was dwarfed.  She remembered all too well how much strength the man could exert should he chose to do so.  If revenge were truly his intent right now, there was little she would be able to do to stop him.  **_Why__ did I think I would be safe alone with him?  He's a pirate.  Why didn't I let Ry come down with me?  Because she wanted no one else to witness this, that's why._**

   Crossing his arms and leaning into her personal space, Jack drawled, "Go ahead, luv, if it will make you feel any better."

   Thinking, _I never would have guessed there would be a day that I would be glad to be called "Winnie," Winn took a deep, shuddering breath.  Letting it out, she said in an even quieter voice than the one she had been using, "I want to apologize for my behavior, Captain Sparrow.  During the entire time of our association I have pushed you to lengths that most normal men and few pirates would tolerate, simply because I was annoyed to be diverted from my chosen plans.  I have behaved like a spoiled child in regards to some of my actions, like a naive schoolgirl in my belief that you were a safe person to appear before in a state of dishabille, and like a hypocrite for harming you when you acted upon what I was unintentionally offering.  I never should have given you that black eye, much less have ever tried to intentionally irritate you.  I just want to say that I am sorry, and that I understand if you demand some kind of repayment."_

   Jack remained silent through all this, wondering what had happened to so change the woman he knew.  To tell the truth he greatly enjoyed matching wits with Winn, enjoyed annoying her, enjoyed watching irritation light up her eyes.  He had even enjoyed that little swordfight, once it had gotten started, drawing it out simply to see how she would react.  It would have been easy to disarm her at any point during the duel (no one ever won if they did nothing but defend themselves), but it had been a beautiful thing to watch.  Winn in action forgot all about whatever it was she was trying hide, forgot to guard herself.  He had gained nearly as much insight into her from that fight as he had from the sketchbook.  _Dishonestly clever. . . ._

   Thinking of the sketchbook, Jack remembered the drawing of that afternoon garden party.  The Winn he saw before him now was the one that had been captured on that piece of paper – an awkward girl trying desperately to remain unnoticed.  _Which explains why she came down here alone._

   "Aye, I'll not deny that a bit of repayment would go a long way in soothing the hurt done to my eye."  Winn looked up at him for the first time since he had left the cell.  She looked to be caught between anger at his flippancy and trepidation at what he would claim for repayment.

   "What is it that you want, Captain?"  If Jack hadn't been standing so close to her, he never would have heard the query. 

   "Ten questions.  Ten questions with honest answers from your lovely self."  Confusion and relief battled for domination over Winn's face.  Without her glasses, this internal fight was clearly visible to Jack.  "That is, as long as you're not too scared."  That solved the battle – irritation won out again.

   "That is acceptable, Captain Sparrow.  If I may take you to your cabin now?  I'm sure that you must be ready to break your fast.  If you will follow me?"  Winn led a grinning Jack Sparrow above decks.


	12. A Not So Tragic Past

**Disclaimer:  You will never hear the words "these are mine"  come out of my mouth in regards to this movie – unless I truly am as crazy as my family, some friends, youth pastors, coworkers, think I am, which may be entirely possible.**

**Author's Note:  the (* * * * *) indicates a break between the story of Winn's past, and what is happening in the present.**

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**The Story to Date:**

   "What is it that you want, Captain?"  If Jack hadn't been standing so close to her, he never would have heard the query. 

   "Ten questions.  Ten questions with honest answers from your lovely self."  Confusion and relief battled for domination over Winn's face.  Without her glasses, this internal fight was clearly visible to Jack.  "That is, as long as you're not too scared."  That solved the battle – irritation won out again.

   "That is acceptable, Captain Sparrow.  If I may take you to your cabin now?  I'm sure that you must be ready to break your fast.  If you will follow me?"  Winn led a grinning Jack Sparrow above decks.

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Emerging from the hatch that led from below decks, Winn was immediately assaulted not only by the brightness of the sun, but by the joyous, screaming voices of her nieces.  "Auntie Winn!  We're on a _boat!"  Quickly scrambling on deck, her bare feet slapping the wood, Winn stood up.  About to walk over to her nieces, Winn remembered her "guest."  Said guest emerged in much the same way she had, his kohl-lined eyes squinting at the sun's early morning ferocity._

   For some reason Winn found that amusing.  "I thought that stuff was supposed to help you to _not_ squint, Captain."

   Jack glanced down at her.  In his boots he was about eight inches taller than the slim woman.  "There's a big difference between lamplight and sunlight, Winnie.  Besides, the kohl simply adds effect to my mysterious charm."

   "Oh, absolutely."  Winn allowed a hint of sarcasm creep into her voice.

   "Winnie?  You think I'm charming?"

   Taking a long look at him, head to toes, then meeting his eyes, Winn replied slowly, "I think you're too charming for the good of most women, Captain."

   "So you _do think I'm charming."  Jack was doing that thing with his voice again, teasing her in a way that begged her to lose all semblance of composure.  It was working better than it usually did, Winn noted.  __It **must** be because I'm tired._

   Swallowing and turning her head, Winn answered, "I _think_ I will strive not to be most women."

   Surveying the _Kingfisher's deck, Winn saw that her young relations had grown bored of waiting to get her attention.  Meggie and Elsa, towing an unsteady Zoë between them, were headed their way.  Luckily for them, Ry's crew was used to having small children aboard, and they had already averted many of the small disasters that had been set in motion that morning.  _

  Winn smiled at the enthusiasm of youth.  Deciding it was best to intercept the small disasters before anything else could happen, Winn politely said to Jack, "If you would wait her for just a moment," before going to meet her nieces.

   Quickly reaching them, Winn scooped up Zoë who was growing tired of being pulled around.  Teasing the older two, she said, "Well, what are you two up to, hmm?  Causing trouble?  Pushing men overboard?  Raiding the foodstuffs?"  

   "_No, Aun'win.  We're _hungry_.  We want breksfest," Elsa said in an urgent voice.  "An' Momma said that we coulds find you, and you'd help us.  Will you help us, Aun'win?  Please?"_

   "Yes, of course.  Tell you what, we'll even go eat in the _galley_."  Elsa looked impressed.  "Have you seen the galley yet?"  Elsa shook her head.

   "I have, Auntie Winn."  Meggie looked smug because she could remember being on the ship last year to go visit her great-grandpapa.

   "Then you, Miss Meggie, can show us were it is.  But first I need to show your uncle's guest to his cabin and I need to check on Pigeon."  A voice from behind Winn made her start.  _Blast the man, why is he always hovering?_

   "I believe you also promised me breakfast, Winnie.  Why don't I just join you and these lovely ladies?"  Jack ignored Winn's glare and examined the girls instead.  His only experience with children was the need to watch his pockets against wharf-rats when ashore in places like Tortuga.  He had no idea how to deal with these children.  But, they were female, weren't they?  Just in miniature?  His strategy for dealing with women should work just as well on them.  

   _Then again, they are related to Winnie, he thought as he found himself the target of the girls' curious gazes.  Suddenly he was unsure of what to do.  Meggie, being the bolder member of the trio, cocked her head to side.  "Are you a pirate?" she asked in a considering voice, as if trying to decide whether or not this man was worthy of her attention._

   Jack glanced at Winn, hoping that she would step in and handle this.  She just raised her brows, seeming to say, _"What?  You can't handle answering a child's question?"  Looking back at Meggie, Jack said slowly, "Yes."_

   "Are you a good pirate or a bad pirate?"

   _How am I supposed to answer that question, Jack wondered.  __What kind of question is that anyway?  I thought all pirates were bad.  Really bad eggs, and all that._

   Winn, seeing Jack's consternation, took pity on the man, and asked her precocious niece, "Meggie?  What have I told you about good pirates and bad pirates?"  Zoë decided she was bored with the conversation, and started tugging on Winn's braid.

   "Umm . . . ."  Tugging on her own hair, Meggie considered this question.  "You said that no one ever hears of the bad pirates, because they get killed before anyone can know them, and that good pirates are the ones that people like to read about."

   "That's right."

   "But Auntie Winn, I don't know who he _is_.  So how do I know if I heard of him or not?"

   Kneeling to look the youngster in the eye, Winn said, "I'm sorry. I should have introduced you, shouldn't I?"  Meggie nodded.  "Well, in that case, Margaret, this is Jack Sparrow, captain of the _Black Pearl_."

    Meggie looked back up at Jack (who had been watching the whole interchange avidly) with renewed interest.  "You're a good pirate?"  Jack just nodded.  "Great-Grandpapa is a good pirate.  We're going to see him now.  Why are you here?"

   "Ahh . . ."

   "Because your great-grandfather wants to meet Captain Sparrow.  He's heard some interesting stories and wants to meet the man behind them."  

   Ruffling the girl's hair, Winn changed the subject.  "I thought you girls wanted breakfast."  Elsa and Meggie exuberantly agreed, bouncing up and down.  "Then I suggest that we go get some before it's all gone.  Captain Sparrow, should you wish it, you are free to join us."  _Please say no, please say no . . ._

   Jack saw the look in her eyes and deciding that he really had nothing to lose (after all Winn had already agreed to answer ten questions of his choosing), said, "I'd love to join you, Winnie.  Maybe we can decide over breakfast when a good time for us to _talk_ would be."  

   _Bloody scoundrel.  Winn nodded stiffly, either from renewed anger or nervousness, but Jack couldn't tell which.  Aloud she simply said, "Of course, Captain.  Meggie, if you would take Captain Sparrow in hand and then lead us to the galley . . . ."  Taking the suggestion ever so well, Meggie took Jack's hand in her own childish one.  She led the way back down below decks chattering and asking questions of Jack.  He did his best to keep up with the sprite after shooting a look at Winn that promised later retribution._

Dusk came quickly that evening, at least in Winn's eyes.  She would have been perfectly content if the sun never set again, for it would release her from the pact she had made with a man she was sure was related to the devil. _ What was I thinking to give him a carte blanche when it came to repayment?  Repayment?  Revenge is more like it, and revenge is how this whole bloody mess got started in the first place._

   She was standing the in the prow of the ship, a place that calmed her, made her feel as if she was leaving all her problems and dilemmas behind her.  As if she could throw her problems to the wind that washed over her.  That's why she was there now – she was trying to soak some of the night's tranquility into her being.  She knew that the conversation looming in her imminent future was going to be grueling, at least for her.  _Captain Sparrow just has to ask the questions.  I'm the one who has to answer them._

   As she stood watching the first stars of the evening appear in the murky light of dusk, she felt someone come up behind her.  She knew who it was before she turned around, could feel the presence of the man whom she was waiting for.  _What if I don't **want** to be able to feel him near me?_

   Each waited for the other to make some acknowledgement or announcement, for someone to break the ice.  Nervous, fed up with waiting, and just wanting to get this over with, Winn finally spoke up.  "You have until the moon comes up, Sparrow.  After that I'm going to bed.  If you want to ask me something, I suggest you get to it."  Hearing the tone of her voice, Winn winced, and thought,_ That was smart.  Challenge the man.  Why don't you just challenge him to another sword fight and get it over with._

   Since Winn was not facing Jack, she missed his smirk.  _That's my girl.  "While that sounds like a _wonderful_ proposal, Winnie, I'm sure that we could probably use that time for more . . . interesting purposes.  I don't know about you, but I generally like to talk . . . afterwards."  Jack proposition was rewarded when Winn spun around, anger tightening her features.  _

   "You like to talk, end of story." But though she had showed a promising beginning, Jack was disappointed when she managed to catch reign of her tongue.

   After nearly a full minute had gone by in silence, Winn spoke in a voice that was low and tightly controlled - a sure sign that she was just barely controlling her temper.  Jack had to step closer to hear her clearly.  "I would appreciate it, Captain Sparrow, if you would stop trying to upset me.  If you haven't noticed, I am unsettled enough as it is.  If you truly wish to ask me anything tonight, I would appreciate it if you would just do it so that I can relax for the first time today."

   Seeing the disquiet in Winn's eyes, Jack took pity on her, something he did rarely for anyone.  "Fine lass, we'll get started.  But first I just want to make sure that we both understand our agreement.  I get to ask anything I want, over an unspecified amount of time, and you have to answer truthfully."  Winn started to protest at the thought of this torture going on for days, or even weeks, but Jack silenced her by laying a finger over her parted lips.  Her eyes went big with surprise at the contact, and something else that Jack didn't have time to decipher before she lowered her eyes.  Jack continued, his eyes locked on her face in the hope she wouldn't bolt.  

   "I'm willing to give you one chance to refuse to answer one of your due questions, as well as any questions that I ask in the course of your explanation.  Should you refuse to answer one of my settlement questions, I get to ask another one – and I will try to refrain from simply asking the same one again.  Do we have an accord?"

   Winn nodded, and whispered, "Yes, I agree to your terms."  Her lips brushed against the finger that Jack had laid against them, stirring in him a sudden urge to kiss her.

   Removing his hand and taking a deep breath, Jack said, "Well, then.  I think we'd best have a seat.  My first question may take you awhile to answer."  He seated himself and waited for Winn to do the same.  She stood looking down at him as if she were afraid he might try to eat her.  "Come now, Winnie.  I've already told you I'll only bite if you ask me to."  The statement did nothing to ease her fears.

   _What if I'm uncertain whether I want to be bitten or not?_  Taking another deep breath, Winn sat down across from Jack.  Wrapping her arms around her knees, her bare toes sticking out from underneath the hem of her full breeches, Winn asked, "So what is it you want to be knowing, Captain?  The moon is on her way, and I won't hesitate to leave mid-answer."  _Actually I probably would – the dratted man just might hunt me down for the rest of it._

   Jack looked at her as if he knew she was bluffing and he was allowing her to get away with it.  "Fine, lass.  Seeing as how you're eager to spill your secrets, here's my first question; just what is this past that you're so intent on keeping to yourself?"

   Winn felt her stomach drop.  _I knew that was coming.  I really did, _she tried to convince herself.  "You certainly don't pull your punches, do you Captain?"

   "No more than you do."

   Looking up at the sky, Winn hesitated before saying, "I was taught as a child that the sea has no mercy, Captain Sparrow, and for the most part, neither do those who make their life here.  They can't afford to.  That's the reason a man should leave his past on the shore where it belongs, because what's in a man's past can bring him to grief later on in life."  She looked at the man across from her.  "I'll answer this question, simply because I can imagine what else you'll dare to ask.  But I ask one thing in return – that this topic is not raised between us again unless I wish it to be.  Will you agree to that?"

   Jack looked her in the eyes, thinking of his own past, and how he wouldn't relish someone digging in it.  The past could be painful as well as golden, and for some it was more of one than of the other.  "Aye, lass.  I'll agree to that."

   "Okay."  _In for a penny, in for a pound._  Unconsciously assuming the posture and tone she used when telling stories to her brothers' children, Winn started, "Here follows the not-so-tragic-past of Winn Morgan . . . ."

* * * * *

To fully understand Winn Morgan, one had to go many years past her birth, to the life of her grandfather, a man who would greatly influence not only the life of his family, but also the lives of many others.

   Winn's grandfather was named Henry.  He and his brother were twins born to a Welsh prostitute in a small town on Cardigan Bay.  Being discontent with their lot in life, the brothers had taken to the sea as young men.  Finding they had a natural proclivity for the art of sailing ships and reading coordinates, both had decided to stay on the sea and never returned to make their living on land.

   To avoid confusion amongst seamen, the brothers decided that the first to make captain would keep their last name, and the second would take his first as his last, so that there would not be two Captain Morgans upon the sea.  As fate would have it, Henry was the first to become captain, after a hard fought duel with the captain over the command of a ship.  By the age of thirty-six, the brothers were captains, and well known for piracy in English and Continental waters.

   When Morgan (as he liked to be called) was in his forties, he raided a ship carrying a young woman of Italian/Grecian descent.  Both fell in love almost immediately (perhaps another quirk of fate), and when Morgan discovered that she was being sent to England as part of a marriage solidifying a contract between two (very important) merchant families, he took her away.  

   They married and left English waters after that – they both knew it was unlikely that they would forever be able to avoid the navies of the many countries that Morgan had upset with his "unauthorized redistribution of wealth" not to mention the merchants he had upset with his wife's seizure.

   Eventually the two settled down in the Caribbean.  Years passed, and Morgan and his wife had twin sons.  One died at a young age in a boating accident, the other became a privateer for the English.  This son, being curious about England and its people, so different from those who inhabited the islands, left his parents and set sails for the Old World.

   There he met and married a young woman, sweet and slight of frame.  He wrote his parents, saying that he would make his life in England, for his wife was loathe to leave her homeland, and scared of the sea to boot.  Within time, he had three sons with his wife.  Upon her fourth pregnancy, a difficult one by all accounts, the woman gave birth to twins (for the Morgans have always had a least one twin per generation), a boy and a girl.  

   Unfortunately, the onset of labor came a few weeks too early.  The mother, being such a slim woman, fought to give birth to her children for three days.  By the time that both children had been delivered, their mother was near death from weakness and blood loss.  The children as well were small and weak, and many despaired for the lives of all three.  The boy died less than a fortnight after his birth, but mother and daughter lived, and the daughter was named after her father's dead brother.

* * * * *

   Uncomfortable with the subjects they would soon be discussing should she continue, Winn stopped.  She might have decided to take responsibility for her actions, but there was only so far one could go the day of the resolution, and she was reaching her limit.  Any farther and she'd be out of her comfort zone.

   Stretching, Winn said, "There you are, Captain Sparrow.  Now you know my past.  I was born into a pirate family, and everything since then has led me to where I am now, and trust me, if it were possible, I would be complaining to someone about this very moment.  Now, if your curiosity has been whetted for tonight, I would like to retire."  Winn tried to stand, but Jack grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her back down, half on the deck, half in his lap.

   "Not so fast, Winnie.  I seem to remember asking 'what is this past that you're so intent on keeping to yourself?'  Now, I must admit that I've heard a good bit of your story, but it seems to me that you haven't really told me any of the bits that you're trying to keep to yourself.  I believe that's called," he paused, trying to think of the phrase.  "Ah, yes.  It's called 'obeying the letter of the law, and not the spirit.'  Or perhaps reneging on a commitment.  If you're going to be a poor sport about this, luv," he looked at her mouth, "I might just take it into my head to demand another type of satisfaction from you."

   "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'pushing your luck,' Captain?"  Winn struggled from his hold, scooting across the deck so that she was a good two feet from him.  Enough to allow the illusion of safety if not the actuality.

   "Have you ever heard, 'take what you can, give nothing back?'  Besides, those who don't take risks merely exist in this life.  It's the risk takers that live it.  I'm not letting you out of this, Winnie.  Continue on with your story, lass.  I can see the edge of the moon appearin' and you wanted to be done by the time it was fully up.  I suggest you start talking faster."  Winn glared at him, but she made no move to get up again.

   Still glowering at the man who was backing her into a corner, and at his reminder that this was her own fault, Winn picked up her story where she had left off.

* * * * *

So, Winifred grew up happy and secure in her family.  She didn't spare too much thought for the brother she had lost, other than the occasional thought that it might have been nice to have a twin.  Her existing brothers treated her as a pleasant inconvenience, or perhaps as a minor annoyance, but they never mistreated her as brothers do from time to time.  The neighbors said that she was a heathen and a tomboy; she simply wanted the acceptance of her brothers whom she adored.

   The only dark cloud in her sky was the fact that her father was often away at sea (for he had never lost his love of it), and was rarely home.  When he _was home, he was a fount of information, stories, and small delights.  He taught her how to sail, the basics of shooting a firearm, how to throw a knife (to her mother's horror), and the principles of swordplay, though he forbade her to do so much as pick up a sword unless he was there to supervise.  He also taught more harmless things - how to tell a story properly, how to write and how to read, how to swim.  _

   Out of all his lessons, it was swimming that she had the most trouble mastering.  She could swim in calm, untroubled waters, and was a fast, strong swimmer for short distances.  The trouble came when she swam in the open ocean, in deep unknown waters, or for long periods of time.  In the surf or in unknown water, she grew tense, nervous, and usually ended up sinking herself.  If she had to swim for long, she grew tired, and once again would sink herself.  After a time, she grew to dislike swimming, but made herself practice (for short periods of time in quiet lakes) because she knew that she might someday need to know how to swim.

   As she grew she watched as her brothers one by one left home to found their own lives.  Without them around to encourage her wild behavior, Winn discovered that she enjoyed quieter pastimes as well as the rowdier ones that she had learned from the men of her family.  She discovered that she had a talent for art - sketching, painting, and the like.  She found worlds inside of books that she would lose herself in for hours at a time.  She learned to cook, and while it was never a favorite thing to do, she could admit that it was calming and ultimately rewarding.

   She discovered things she was bad at as well.  For example, any piece of cloth that she tried to alter with needle and thread came out looking as if it had been attacked by blind pygmy archers.  That was probably the failure that disappointed her the most.  She loved seeing the quilts and cross-stitch pieces that women in the village made.  As far as she was concerned it was art, and she wanted to be able to do it.  But despite hours of practice, she could never even manage to sew a straight seem.  

   Giving up on behalf of her mother (who was starting to worry that Winn was going to expire of exhaustion and blood loss before she'd learn to sew straight), Winn turned to making patterns for those with the skills she so admired.

   She also discovered that she didn't really have a singing voice - it was low, husky, and undeniably below pitch.  Having never really heard herself sing - with brothers you belted things out, you didn't _sing_ - Winn was a little surprised by this.  To make up for her lack in this department, she laboriously taught herself to play the alto recorder, an instrument that would have been reminiscent of her voice, should she have been able to carry a tune.

   Several years passed after the last of her brothers left home, and they were quiet but no less fulfilling than her earlier years had been.  She spent more time with her mother and had her father all to herself whenever he was home.  It was during those years that Winn's father started teaching her things about pirates.  He never said why, never gave a purpose for the lessons beyond, "You never know when such knowledge may be useful."  So she learned about famous pirates of the past, including the one that shared her name.  She learned to read the stars incase she was ever at a loss for a map.  She was taught sea-chanteys, and the all important Code of the Brethren, although that last was taught with a certain amount of private amusement on the part of her father. And so life continued in a similar vein for several years.  That is until about three months after her fourteenth birthday.  

   It was then that her mother received a letter from a member of her father's crew.  It was to inform the captain's family that the captain had fallen in a battle to seize a Spanish galleon.  Had her mother been able to comfort Winn, had she been strong enough to face her husband's death, maybe things would have been all right.  But Mrs. Morgan had never been a strong woman, and had never fully recovered from the birth of her youngest children.  Winn slowly watched as her mother faded away before her eyes, everyday sunrise seeming to shine on a person of less and less substance.  It didn't seem to be a painful way to die, but it was certainly a painful thing to watch, and having seen it, Winn started to draw into herself.

   Upon her mother's death, Winn went to live with the Swanns, Mrs. Swann having been a dear friend of her mother's since the two women were children.  She stayed in that household for three years, each year fading more and more into the background of Mr. Swann's growing political career.   While penniless relations were to be tolerated, even indulged in some cases, penniless girls of doubtful connection and parentage were to be ignored.  

   During those years it was Elizabeth that kept Winn from becoming despondent.  They returned to some of the more hoydenish ways of Winn's childhood - not that Elizabeth needed much encouragement - but at the end of the day, Elizabeth went to her father, and Winn went to her room to be alone.

   When she was seventeen, she and the Swanns left England for the Caribbean where Mr., nay, Governor Swann was to take a post in a small port community.  To pass the time on ship, Winn delved into her treasure trove of remembered pirate stories and lore to amuse her young friend, the first time she had done so in three years.  But while Winn pulled out all the old stories, she was careful to keep the feelings that accompanied them locked in the mental trunk from which the stories came.  It was easier to ignore all the feelings than to deal with them in front of strangers.  She was on the sea now, her past behind her.

   After some months, and several small adventures, they reached Port Royal.  Upon arrival, Winn found a newly captained Ryan awaiting her at the docks.  He had been sent to take her to Grandfather.

* * * * *

   "It was aboard the _Kingfisher, nearly a decade ago, that I learned of my family's heritage.  Upon my arrival, and after talking with my grandparents, I was given the brand of the Morgans, and placed on a ship for some months to prove that I could indeed sail, navigate, tell coordinates by the stars, and read a compass. _

    "At first, Grandfather was resistant to the idea of letting a female take command of a ship, but Grandmamma convinced him that I would be able to handle the men.  I learned quickly to dress in a fashion that downplayed any femininity, and that an icy manner and a no-nonsense attitude was what it took to get hardened seamen to listen to me. We even raided a few ships, although I did not captain at that time, knowing next to nothing about navel warfare.

   "After four or five months at sea, we returned to Osprey Point, and I took up a quiet lifestyle there.  Grandmamma taught me to garden, and Grandfather did his best to teach me the finer points of swordplay, although I never rose above fairly competent when it all boiled down.  That and visiting family has been my life since I came out here.  And that is the conclusion of this long and rather ordinary tale."

   Closing her eyes and taking several breaths, Winn worked on putting away the memories that even such a limited retelling had aroused.  She nearly ached with loneliness for the family she had lost.  Staring up into the sky, she saw that the moon was seven degrees above the horizon.  "It's late.  I should go to bed.  I haven't been sleeping well lately."  She was unsure why she was telling the Captain this, but the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

   With a groan she stood, unimpeded this time, and started walking towards the stern where the cabins were located.  Hearing the thump of boots on the deck behind her, she glanced back.  Captain Sparrow appeared to be deep in thought, and that annoyed her.  She didn't want to give him food for thought.  She didn't want him to care if she did.

   Reaching her room as quickly as she could, she opened the door and entered, needing to get away from Jack Sparrow as soon as she could.  The way that she was feeling now left her with but one option should the man attempt to irritate her.  She'd throw herself at him.  If she could be sure that it would be out of anger, she wouldn't hesitate to enter into a verbal exchange with the man.  Her nerves were raw, her body humming with nervous energy – a fight would be just the thing to drain some of it off.  

   However, she was feeling a second emotion that, while it fed off the anger, it really had nothing to do with the anger.  The feeling scared her, and almost overwhelmed her intention to start allowing herself to feel things instead of stuffing them down inside herself.   It was a dark, restless, reckless feeling, and Winn was scared of what it might lead her to do.  And with whom it might lead her to do those things.


	13. Wanting

**Disclaimer:  Just curious?  Would you actually believe me if I DID say I owned them?  Because if you do, then I am also glad to inform you that this little fanfic just won a Pulitzer.**

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**So Far:**

   The way that she was feeling now left her with but one option should the man attempt to irritate her.  She'd throw herself at him.  If she could be sure that it would be out of anger, she wouldn't hesitate to enter into a verbal exchange with the man.  Her nerves were raw, her body humming with nervous energy – a fight would be just the thing to drain some of it off.  

   However, she was feeling a second emotion that, while it fed off the anger, it really had nothing to do with the anger.  The feeling scared her, and almost overwhelmed her intention to start allowing herself to feel things instead of stuffing them down inside herself.   It was a dark, restless, reckless feeling, and Winn was scared of what it might lead her to do.  And with whom it might lead her to do those things.

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Jack sat in his cabin, listening to the noises coming from next door.  His was a tiny cabin, barely large enough to hold the bunk on which he sat and the tabled bench that was built into the opposite wall.  But it was better than being interred in the brig, unable to get lose, unable to roam freely.  If he felt somewhat claustrophobic, then that was balanced by the ability to come and go as he pleased.

   Jack heard several muffled bangs in a row.  _Who's next door?_ He wondered.  From seeing the width of the ship, Jack guessed that the cabin next door was roughly the same size as his.  This meant that it was Winnie who was bumping and banging around with nary a thought for her neighbor.  _There should be a bulkhead between that cabin and the Captain's cabin.  Then next door to that would be the one that those urchins and their mother are sharing._

   Jack moved to lay down on his bunk, the assorted accouterments stung and woven in his hair clicking and jingling and rattling with the movement.  Crossing his arms behind his head and toeing off his boots, Jack stared into the unremitting darkness of the room.  Well, that wasn't quite accurate; there was a patch of dark grey that was the diffused light of the night's half moon indicating where the porthole was.

   The thumping continued next door, every once in awhile it was accompanied by a small yip.  Winn's vexed murmurs reached his ears, the tone distinct but not the words.  Jack smirked.  _Methinks the lady is somewhat peeved.  Sounds as if I have accomplished all I needed to today._  

   In truth, there had been times today that Winn had managed to throw him completely and totally off balance.  When she had come down to the brig that morning, he had expected to hear that her grandfather and had demanded that his head should be delivered to her on a silver platter.  He had barely recognized the manifestation of Winn that had offered him an apology.  Where had his little fury been?  _Maybe that will be my next question.  He enjoyed their little verbal interchanges, and while he had to admit that he occasionally stepped over the line in provoking her, didn't it all equal out when she overreacted in her response?_

   _The real question, I suppose,_ he thought, listening to more ominous noises from across the wall, _is why does that woman fascinate me so?  She's hardly a woman who it's easy to tumble in and out of bed.  She doesn't make it a point to seek me out or engage me in conversation.  She's not especially pretty, although now that she seems to have eschewed those glasses . . ._

   A thump, considerably louder than the rest, sounded against the wall near his head.  He started, caught unaware.  "This is ridiculous," he muttered.  "She's gonna bring the entire ship down on our heads."  Raising his voice, Jack told the woman across the wall, "Winnie, if you don't settle down and stop makin' so much noise, I'm going to come over there and quiet you myself, and I highly doubt that you will appreciate the methods I use to do so."

Winn was startled by Jack's voice.  She hadn't realized that the wall between the two cabins was so thin.  Winn blushed, regretting her time spent throwing a rag-ball against it to relive some of her energy.  "There's no need for that, Captain Sparrow.  I'm sorry if I disturbed you."  _Well, not really.  You've been disturbing me all day.  You're still disturbing me.  I take it back.  I didn't mean it.  You deserve to be disturbed._

   Jack smiled at Winn's words.  While they were apologetic in wording, they were delivered in a militant tone that reminded Jack of when he had first met Winnie on the _Kestrel_.  Remembering the events of the week he'd had her aboard his ship, he thought, _Maybe that's it - she's one of the only people I've ever met who so openly ignores me._

   Winn had begun to relax when her apology was met with silence.  Hoping that was the last of her interaction with the man for the day, she closed her eyes.  When her peace was again disrupted by the impertinent pirate, she was half asleep, Jack's voice seemingly coming to her from across some distance.  In that state, Winn was less hostile and less guarded.

   "Do you realize that we're sleeping next to each other, Winnie?  Practically in the same bed, we are."

   Winn roused enough to reply, "That's fascinating, Captain.  Too bad that's as close as you'll ever come to sharing a bed with me."

   Jack laughed.  It was a low, rough laugh, one that had sent ripples of emotion through more than one woman.  _What has gotten into Winnie?_ he wondered._  One moment she's apologetic, the next she's confident, the next defiant, the next flirtatious._  Having an idea, Jack asked, "Winnie, luv, are you even awake?"

   "I'm not sure.  Do I sound annoyed at you?  Because this seems like something that would annoy me if I were awake."

   "You don't sound too annoyed at the moment."

   "Then I must be dreaming."

   "You talk in your sleep?"

   "I used to as a child.  I don't know if I still do.  If I do, then I'm asleep when I do it and therefore don't hear myself.  I suppose you could tell me whether I do or not."

   Jack swallowed.  Whatever state Winnie was in, he was enjoying it immensely - even more than he enjoyed an irritated Winn, which was a great deal.  _Think of the possibilities . . . .  "Was that an invitation, lass?"_

   "No, I was simply saying . . ." Winn yawned, "that if you heard me mumbling in my sleep you could inform me of it in the morning."  She was barely aware of what she was saying - the last few days of little sleep and much activity were starting to tell on her mental state.

   "Oh . . . I'm supremely disappointed, luv.  Here I was thinking that I had finally won you over. . . ."

   "Keep working on it, Captain.  You might actually live to see your goal realized.  However, you might also live to see pigs fly, so I wouldn't exactly . . . hold your breath hoping for such a thing."

   Jack smiled at the point she had scored.  "Winnie, why don't you call me Jack?"  Jack wondered how much of this conversation Winn was actually going to remember in the morning.

   "You've never asked me to, that's why, Captain Sparrow."

   "Would you if I asked you to?"

   "Probab-" Winn yawned again.  She was quickly losing her grip on any conscious thought.  "Probably not."

   "Why?"

   "Because it's not outside the realm of possibility that I may, at some point in time, find you attractive, and . . . and should that become the case, I need to have some kind of barrier between us to remind me why that's a bad idea."

   Jack was stunned by what Winn was voluntarily telling him.  _I definitely need to talk to Winn when she's like this more often.  "Why would your being attracted to me be a bad idea, Winnie?"_

   "Because not only do you already have . . . an inflated opinion of yourself, but I swore I'd never fall in love with a seaman.  My mother did and it killed her."  Winn's train of thought was slowly and surely deteriorating.  

   "Now Grandfather on the other hand is going to love you.  Sparrow.  You're going to fit right in.  He may try to keep you in . . . his aviary.  Or make you one of the family."  Suddenly realizing that it was her own voice that was keeping her awake, Winn looked indignantly at the wall.  "Captain Sparrow, if you don't stop asking me questions, I'm never going to fall asleep and I'm . . . tired."

   Amused at the bewildered outrage in her voice, Jack grinned, and said, "Just two more questions, luv.  Then I'll leave you to your rather unneeded beauty sleep."

   "Mmm . . . ."

   "Firstly, what did you do with your glasses, Winnie?  Why aren't you wearing them?"

   "Ohh . . . they glare terribly in the sun.  And . . ." Winn paused for so long that Jack wondered if he would have to prod her for an answer.  ". . . and I decided that it was time to stop hiding behind them.  I did, you know.  Hide.  It's easier to hide sometimes than it is to live.  I decided to stop.  Cat and Grace thought it was a good idea.  Do you think it's a good idea?"

   "Yes, luv."

   "Good.  I'm glad.  That means you won't give me trouble about it . . . right?"

   "If that's what you want, Winnie."

   "Oh good . . . ."  Winn trailed off.  When Jack heard no other sounds coming from across the wall, he decided that she had fallen asleep mid-reply.  Completely content at the moment, even though he had no real reason to be, Jack set his hat over his eyes, and followed her example.

   Both had dreams of the other that night.  With the coming of the sun, the dreams buried themselves in the consciousness of their hosts, but they by no means lay dormant, each working within the mind of its host - preparation for things to come.

_It was nice to be held so tenderly.  Winn relaxed against the chest of the person standing behind her, their arms coming forward to encircle her waist.  They held her tightly, yet gently, as if afraid to hold on too tight.  Winn smiled – she wasn't about to go anywhere.  She liked it here, felt safe, secure, cherished.  She wanted to tell the person holding her that – wanted to find out who it was.  Whoever it was, she was content to stay here forever, even if it was . . . ._

   Winn awoke the next morning to find someone in her bed.  As her consciousness rose up from the tranquil depths slumber, the sensation of another warm body pressed against hers became more and more apparent.  _Wha_-_ she wondered groggily.  Opening her eyes, Winn found she was facing the wall, unable to see who was behind her.  The steady inhalations, exhalations of her bed partner continued in an unbroken tattoo against her spine._

   Winn sent up a brief prayer, hoping that she had not done something foolish last night.  Carefully levering herself up, not wanting to wake her slumbering guest, Winn rolled over.  There was Meggie in nightgown and slippers, a raggedy blanket clutched underneath her chin, just managing to stay on the narrow bunk with her aunt.

   Winn smiled, unwarranted relief filling her.  She should have known.  This was not the first time she had awoken to find an unannounced guest sharing her bed.  Her brothers' children seemed to make a game of how many of them could slip into bed with her without her knowing.  And then there were midnight migrations caused by other factors; nightmares, their parent's door being locked, older children telling ghost stories, fights with cousins, thunderstorms, etc.  For that reason, Winn had learned to be a still sleeper, rarely changing positions in the night – oftimes that could result in crushing a niece or nephew . . . or a puppy.

   Refusing to question why she thought it could have been someone else in bed with her (a rather larger and more dangerous someone else), Winn climbed over her niece.  Pige scampered around her ankles, pent up energy making her more enthusiastic than ever.  Resolving to find time to locate a good length of leather with which to make a collar and leash for her dog, Winn started getting ready for the day.  

   As she stood in the middle of her cramped cabin, she briefly remembered the conversation of the previous night.  She tried to recall what had been said by both parties, but most of it was hazy, as vivid as a half-remembered dream.  Dismissing it as figment of an overset mind, Winn focused on deciding what to wear for the day.

   She was dressed and in the midst of brushing her hair when a knock sounded quietly on her door.  Opening it, she found Grace outside.  "Good morning Winn.  Are Meg and Elsa here?"

   Allowing the woman to enter, Winn stepped back and said, "Meggie is, but I haven't seen Elsa yet this morning.  I suppose she might be asleep in the chest, but I doubt it."

   Grace sighed.  "I was hoping you weren't going to say that."  She moved over to the bunk to pick up the still-sleeping Meg.  "I hope that little urchin didn't go and manage to fall overboard."

   "I doubt that the night crew would allow something like that to happen.  Ry keeps them sharp."  Winn assured her sister-in-law.  "Besides, Elsa may be small, but she'd make a loud enough splash, not to mention the squalling that would commence when she woke up to find herself in water.  I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

   Grace smiled.  "You're probably right."  Looking at her oldest child, she continued, "I'll go ahead and take this one off your hands before I go to track down Elsa."

   Watching the delicate maneuvers required to pick up a sleeping child without waking them, Winn offered, "You go ahead and stay in your cabin with Meggie and Zoë.  I'll find Elsa and bring her to you.  That way we won't risk the other two wandering off."  Grace accepted this offer with thanks.  Then muttering something about children who wandered about in the middle of the night without informing their parents, she left.

   Leaving her hair lose, Winn left her cabin.  Standing outside the door, she surveyed the deck, thinking, _If I were a three-year-old girl, where would I be at this time in the morning if I weren't with me?  She shot a glance at the door to her right.  __I suppose it's possible she overshot her intended destination.  But could she do such a thing without waking the Captain?  There's only one way to find out. . . ._

   Knocking on the door to the Captain's quarters, Winn entered in search of her truant niece.

Jack Sparrow awoke sometime after dawn to the sensation of someone's head lying on his chest.  Smirking, his hat still covering his eyes, Jack thought, _Looks like Winnie changed her views on the likelihood of us sharing a bed._

   Raising his hat with one hand, Jack discovered what many other people have about he word "assume."  _What the–  What is going on?  _

   There, lying comfortably, innocently, totally, peacefully and completely asleep was Elsa.  She had wandered in sometime around two, and believing that she was in her aunt's room, Elsa had climbed right up and gone right back to sleep.  

   As he was staring down at the child in consternation, he heard a knock on the door.  Before he could give permission for the person to enter, the door opened to reveal Winn.  The faint look of apprehension on her countenance disappeared when she saw the picture that pirate and child made.  

   Jack watched as her eyes softened, and her mouth curved into the smile that all women portray when they see a sleeping child.  Her hair hung loose and was shining richly in the morning light, falling in a sleek waterfall to hang around her waist.  _Strange that such a tiny woman would have so much hair.  _

   Gathering his composure (both from the shock of finding a child asleep in his bed and from the feeling Winn caused that he refused to identify) Jack said quietly, "I must admit that this wasn't what I had in mind when I decided I wanted a Morgan in my bed.  I don't suppose you've come to switch spots with the lass?"

   "No, I haven't.  I have come to take Elsa off your hands though."  Winn's voice held more peace and serenity than Jack had yet heard from her.  "She must have mistaken your cabin for mine, although with Meggie already in there we would have had a hard time fitting her in."  Winn came into the room and scooped Elsa up into her arms.  

   "I'm sorry if she surprised you, Captain.  I doubt that this will happen again."

   "I don't mind, although I will admit that it was rather unexpected to find the lass here.  As surprises go, however, this one was relatively harmless."  Elsa shifted in Winn's arms, a sleeping protest to being moved from a spot she apparently had found comfortable.  Winn stroked the back of the girl's head, soothing her.  She looked up to find Jack's eyes fixed on her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher.

   Becoming somewhat unnerved from his gaze, Winn blushed slightly.  Shuffling her feet she said, "I should go and return this one to her mother."  

   Backing towards the door, Winn stopped and bit her lip.  She wanted to ask if they had indeed conversed through the thinness of the wall the night before, but doing so would mean she would have to face up to what she had said.  From what she remembered, it would be best for both parties to ignore what had happened.  Still, it would be nice . . . .

   She opened her mouth to ask, but decided against it at the last moment.  _No, it's better to just leave._  Shutting her mouth without saying a word, Winn left Jack lying on his bed, hands behind his head, grin firmly in place.

Winn managed to avoid Jack for the rest of the day.  She did it for a number of reasons – fear of exactly what had been said the night before, concern over what he was going to ask her next, dislike of the entire situation.  But though she managed to avoid talking to the man, she could not avoid his gaze, and many times during the course of the day she would look up to find him staring at her in the same fashion that a man stares at a problem than has him confounded.

   That in itself confounded Jack.  It didn't seem to matter what she was doing – talking to her sisters, telling stories to her nieces, making a collar for her pet, staring off into space – she drew his gaze as naturally as north draws a compass needle to itself.  (Unless the compass was for finding cursed islands that no one can find . . . but that's another story entirely.)

   Winn was greatly relieved when supper time came around.  It had irritated her to no end the way that Jack had watched her all day long.  It was like going through one's day with someone's hand on the back of one's neck the entire time – Jack's gaze was _that_ focused.  Though she had made a concentrated effort to avoid being in his line of sight, the blasted man had made it a point to find her. Not to talk to her or to tease her or to make a general nuisance of himself – he only did it so he could continue to stare at her.  

   She decided to skip the meal all together.  If she had to endure a meal that was sure to include Jack staring at her more, she'd go barmy and end up doing something she would possibly regret later, but with the state she was in she highly doubted she'd regret anything.  _I can eat later, but this may be the only time I get to be alone today._  If the game of sneak-into-bed-with-auntie was starting already, then it was unlikely that she'd be alone that night.

   She grabbed her sketch pad and a piece of charcoal.  Sticking both into the oversized pockets of her breeches, she made way for the prow.  Reaching it, she started to climb out onto the figurehead itself, making sure to settle herself securely between the carved figure's wings.  It was a spot that few people would think to check for inhabitants, so she would be able to remain here for some time.

   Taking her book out and opening to the first clean page, Winn caught sight of the picture that Jack had added to her collection.  Momentarily torn between ripping it out to give it a burial at sea and the desire to keep it, Winn didn't notice the man who had come up along the railing to watch her.

   _A burial at sea is too decent, she thought, avoiding the real reason she was so hesitant to rid herself of the portrait. _I'll wait until we reach Grandfather's.  I can give it to one of the children to use for spitballs or something.__

   That decided, Winn got down to drawing.  She had wanted to do this all day, but Jack's eyes on her had made her hesitate.  She had drawn him once, she didn't want him to know that she was about to do it again, but the scene from that morning was too adorable to ignore.  The big bad pirate staring down in dismay at the child who was snuggled up to him.  _I'm only doing this because it's such a sweet depiction of Elsa._

   The work was finished quickly; Winn had a good memory for shapes and colors, one that rarely failed her.  With nothing left to do, Winn stared out at the setting sun, listening to the conversation and quips traded among the men on duty.  Lowing her eyes to half mast, she let her thoughts drift.

   Seeing that Winn was going nowhere anytime soon, Jack decided that this was a good time to ask his next question.  He dropped down beside her on the figurehead, silently and gracefully.

   Unfortunately it wasn't quite quietly enough.  Winn heard him land and quickly stood and assumed a defensive posture.  _Enough is enough._  With her arms folded across her chest, she said, "Why Captain!  Fancy running into you here.  One might think that we had gone all day without seeing each other, which would be ridiculous since you've done nothing but stare at me all day."

   "Luv, you wound me–"

   "Trust me, if I had wounded you, you'd be in considerably more pain, Captain."

   "What!  After last night you still can't find it in yourself to call me Jack?  You did once, on the _Black Pearl_.  And you managed it quite well too."

   Winn had stopped listening at "after last night. . . ."  Jack had just accidentally confirmed her fears about what had happened last night after she had gone into her cabin.  Her words from last night came back to her in a rush.

_      "Because it's not outside the realm of possibility that I may, at some point in time, find you attractive . . . but I swore I'd never fall in love with a seaman . . . It's easier to hide sometimes than it is to live.  I decided to stop.  Cat and Grace thought it was a good idea.  Do you think it's a good idea?"_

   Interrupting Jack, who had not yet noticed her sudden bout of immobility and speechlessness, Winn asked in a quiet voice, "I don't suppose you're willing to say that you used up the rest of your ten questions last night, are you Sparrow?"  As she was talking, the first mate ordered that the sea anchor be dropped for the night.  This order and the consequent splash the obedience to it made could have very well drowned out the warning in Winn's voice.  It was possible, but not probable.

   Now, Jack had seen the warning in Winn's eyes even if he hadn't heard it in her voice.  He knew that she was upset over the knowledge that she had spoken to him without being totally and completely in control of herself.  Her temper had been fraying slowly but surely all day long, and here he was trying to snap it.  Briefly he wondered if he was indeed insane before he delivered the winning point.

   "No lass.  You answered all those of your own free will.  Had you asked whether I wanted to used my questions though, the answer would have most likely been 'yes' – your tongue was quite loose last night even if the rest of you wasn't."  He knew that she was most likely going to slap him for his impertinent and insolent answer, and he was prepared for it.

   Sure enough, Winn's right hand came flying up to plant him one across the face.  He grabbed her hand before it could make contact.  What he wasn't prepared for was the foot that swept his out from under him and the other hand that gave him a helpful shove over the rim of the figurehead.  Winn jerked herself out of his hold at the last moment, and finding herself hanging over the edge of one carved wing, she watched as Jack landed in the water some feet below her.

   "Man overboard!"  Apparently their little scuffle had attracted an audience.  Winn looked up to see several deckhands and the second mate gathered around.  One of them looked down at her and commented, "You got him right proper, miss, right proper."

   Winn sighed as Jack's head popped above water.  _When am I going to learn to ignore that man and his incendiary comments?_

  She climbed back on deck, her bare feet finding holds in the hull as she climbed.  Several hands reached out to help her.  Accepting their help and thanking the givers, Winn walked to the main stairwell that would lead her down to ship's stores.

   On her way down, she met Ry and the rest of her family coming up.  "Off to get yourself some food?  You missed dinner entirely."  Ry looked at his sister with concern – she was getting too thin to satisfy him.  If she wasn't careful she was going to make herself sick.

   "No, I'm going down to stores to fetch some dry clothes."

   "But you're not wet."

   "You're right.  I'm not."  Without offering further explanation, Winn started back down the stairs.  Shaking his head at the mood his sister was in, Ry continued climbing with his family.  

   When they reached the deck, he saw why further explanations had not been offered.  A dripping wet Captain Sparrow was being pulled over the railing back onto the deck.  From his appearance, Ry would have to guess that he had taken a brief swim, and he didn't have to ask who had "encouraged" him to do so.

A sodden Jack Sparrow stood in the middle of his cabin and wondered what he was going to do now.  He was fully clothed, soaking wet, and had no spare clothing to change into.  He supposed he could borrow some clothing from young Captain Morgan, but was leery of doing such a thing.  It was a bad idea to collect debts on the sea; they were always called in sooner or later, and Jack was entangled enough in this family as it was.  So he stood there, dripping on the wooden planking beneath his feet, wondering what he was going to do next.  

   _The first thing to do is get undressed,_ he decided.  A plan of action made, Jack removed his boots, then his vest.  Before he had the chance to remove anything else, a knock came at the door.  Opening it, he found Winn on the other side, a bundle of clothes under one arm.  "I brought you something to wear until your own clothes get dried."

   Jack made a sweeping gesture with his arms.  "Then by all means, luv, come in."  Winn eyed him suspiciously, but came in anyway.  He shut the door behind her and leaned against it, effectively blocking her way out.  If Winn thought he was going to let her off easy after what she had just done, then she had another thing coming.

   Turning to face him, Winn noticed that Jack was wearing less clothing than she accustomed to seeing him in.  He was barefoot for one thing, and without his boots he was only about six inches taller than she was.  Should she ever want to, she would fit snugly underneath his chin.  The thought was more tempting than it had any right to be.

   That wasn't the only thing she noticed.  His shirt looked much more threadbare when wet, and she could see the outline of several tattoos though it.  There was one on each of his arms, near the shoulder, and one on his chest near where his heart would be.  Tattoos fascinated Winn.  Briefly forgetting who she was dealing with, she stepped forward trying to see them more clearly.

   "Like anything you see, Winnie?"  Recalling who she was dealing with, Winn halted.

   "No, I was just trying to decide if you had tattoos or merely concentrated areas of dirt.  Knowing you, it's probably dirt."

   "If you've come to offer another apology, Winnie, I must say that you're not off to a very good start.  I think things would go ever so much better if you offered to compensate me again.  Maybe a kiss for each hurt I sustained at your hands?"  Jack waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

   Winn raised her chin in a haughty manner.  "It's you who are off to a bad start if you think I'm here to apologize.  You knew exactly what you were doing when you made that smart comment.  Therefore you deserve exactly what you got.  I doubt that anything worse than a through dousing was afflicted upon your person, Sparrow."  Winn held out the clothes that she was holding, temper making her words short.  

   "If you would be so kind as to take these and then let me exit?  I'll wait for you to give me your wet things.  I'll take them down to the galley to be dried.  Personally, I think that's more 'compensation' than you deserve, but then we can't have you falling sick while you're here.  It would be a horrible representation of Grandfather's hospitality."

   Jack decided that it wouldn't be too good an idea to press his luck right now.  He took the offered clothes and moved.  Before Winn could leave however, he said, "I'm sorry if I've upset you Winnie."

   She spun and looked at him, anger and disbelief writ large upon her face.  "Sorry?  You're _sorry?!  You've done nothing but test my patience since you brought me aboard the _Pearl_, Sparrow, and you've delighted in doing so.  If there's been anything you've actually regretted it was most likely underestimating me enough for me to allow a hit."_

   "That's not true, Winnie."

   "It's not, Captain?  Forgive me if I don't quite believe you."  She turned her back to him, once more preparing to leave.

   Jack said quickly, "I may not regret what I did last night, but I do regret what I said in Port Royal."

   He surely knew where to aim to get her attention.  Winn leaned her head against the closed door.  "Why do you think that I found _anything_ you said in Port Royal of enough importance to actually remember?"  Her voice was a whisper, albeit fierce enough to conceal the agony that caused it.

   Jack whispered back, "'Looks as if you were correct, luv.  Had you been truly attractive, I doubt these two fine gentlemen could have diverted my focus from your petite self.'  You know that's not true, Winnie."

   "How would I know such a thing?"  Winn didn't know why she was still here, in this room with this man that could unsettle her more than any other.  Her common sense was screaming at her to leave, yet something was holding her in her place.  That same something also rushed over her anger in a wave, leaving only confusion and a desire to stay in its wake.

   "Haven't you seen me watching you, Winnie?  I know you have.  You fascinate me, and I'm not sure why.  Not sure why I can't get you out of my mind."

   This was a dangerous topic for conversation.  Self-preservation rising up, Winn swallowed hard and replied, "A lack of occupation.  You have nothing to do.  Maybe, if we asked Ry, he could–"

   "You know that's not the reason, luv."  Winn turned to face Jack, uncertainty and bewilderment in her eyes.  It was a mistake, for the darkness of Jack's eyes caught her own and held them.  "The reason I haunt your steps is the same reason you're still here instead of being elsewhere.  We both want something.  I know what I want, or am at least reasonably sure."  

   Winn continued leaning against the door.  She watched as Jack came over to her, moving slowly as if he was afraid to startle her.  Stopping a mere arms length from her, he asked in a voice that she almost felt, "What is it _ye'd be wantin', Winnie?"_

   Instead of replying, Winn reached out to touch him.  She only hesitated once before she rested one hand on Jack's shoulder.  The other hand, her right hand, she brought up to skim across the bruise it had caused.  "I'm sorry," she breathed.

   Jack rested his own hands on her considerably more delicate shoulders.  He could feel how tense she was.  _Like a worm in a room full of sparrows._  Slowly he moved one hand to slide around the back of her neck, the thumb grazing the skin of her jaw.

   Winn's insides were in a knot of indecision.  She wanted this, whatever it turned out to be, but she was terrified of that same need.  If felt like her anger, in a way; uncontrollable, overwhelming, demanding, unable to be soothed.  If she gave in to it, where would it lead?  She wasn't ready to find out.

   Jack had leaned in to kiss her as he had wanted to for some time now, but Winn turned her head.  His kiss landed on her cheek.  "I can't."

   "Why not?"  Jack knew the answer but he wanted to hear her say it aloud.

   "I'm scared."  Winn felt horrible, as if she had just destroyed whatever was left of his opinion of her.  Shrugging out of his light grasp, she whispered, "I should go."

   Jack let her, well, almost let her go.  Before she could open the door, he pulled her into him, kissing her harshly, then gently.  Raising his head, he asked, "What is it that you want, Winnie?"  Opening the door for her, he watched her leave.  _So that's what it takes to make Winnie retreat.  Too softly for her to hear, he asked, "_Who_ are you, Winnie?"_

   Winn paused, just over the threshold, as if trying to decide whether or not she'd heard the query.  Then, without turning, she closed the door after her.  

   Jack just stared at the door for a moment, hands at his sides.  On the other side of the door, Winn bent her head and whispered, "I wish I could tell you," before going to her own cabin.


	14. Being Vulnerable

**Disclaimer:  Not mine, at least not until it comes out on DVD, and then I will most definitely own it.**

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**Last Time I Wrote:**

   "_Who_ are you, Winnie?"

   Winn paused, just over the threshold, as if trying to decide whether or not she'd heard the query.  Then, without turning, she closed the door after her.  

   Jack just stared at the door for a moment, hands at his sides.  On the other side of the door, Winn bent her head and whispered, "I wish I could tell you," before going to her own cabin.

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Winn spent yet another sleepless night thanks to Jack Sparrow.  First there was the bloody kiss.  _Bloody man couldn't just leave things at "good night," had to go and kiss me again.  And why didn't I do anything about it, why did I just stand there like some witless goose while he kissed me?_

_   Because it was a **very good kiss.**_  The part of Winn that was starting to sound like Jack made itself known again.

_   Hush, I wasn't asking you._  But Winn did have to admit that it had been a good kiss.  True, she had been startled at first, when the kiss was so rough, but even that had been nice in a way.  Then when the kiss had turned gentler, she had had to stop herself from leaning into the man, from responding the way her blood demanded her to.

_   Ridiculous.  The only thing I had to refrain from doing was hitting the man again._  Winn irritably got ready for bed.  If she had been asked what her irritation stemmed from, she wouldn't have known if it were from being kissed or from the kiss being stopped.  _No, think about something else! _

   Lying in the dark, Winn decided that she had two options before her.  As it was unlikely that she would be sleeping any time soon, she could either think about what Jack had asked her, or she could ponder how dangerously close she was to becoming infatuated with Sparrow.  

   The former option seemed a great deal safer than the latter did.  Admitting to herself that Jack Sparrow could irritate her was one thing.  She was by no means ready to admit that he did anything else to her, although the man would have to be blind not to see it.  She had to make herself blind not to see it.  Which was a hard thing to do since her lips still tingled from his kiss, her hands still felt the imprint of him underneath them, and her mind refused to give up the sight of his dark eyes.

_   "What is it that you want, Winnie?  **Who** are you, Winnie?"_  The questions rang in her mind, the latest of a series of questions challenging her to find out who she really was.  Lying in the dark on her bunk, Winn started questioning her beliefs about herself.

   It wasn't an easy thing to do, going through and turning over all the rocks in one's soul.  It took time and courage and patience.  It was even hard to find a place to start.  Winn glanced over when her door swung open.  A small figure entered the cabin.  Scooting over to make room for whichever niece it was, Winn thought, _Well, that's a good place to start.  I'm a loving aunt.  I'm a sister.  A dedicated granddaughter.  I'm a sailor, and a gardener, and an artist.  I'm practical, steadfast.  I have a good sense of humor, except when it comes to Jack._  That thought gave her pause.

_   Why not when it comes to Jack?  What is it about him that makes me lose any sense of levity at all?  Is it just because he irritates me?  No, that's not truthful, and if I'm going to do this I might as well tell the truth.  He doesn't irritate me – he scares me._  Winn raised an arm to pull her niece closer.  Swallowing and staring into the dark she realized she was still fooling herself.

   _No, he makes me fear myself.  He makes me afraid of what I find myself capable of in his company.  He scares me because he makes me want to give up long held beliefs and decisions.  He makes me want things that I decided to deny myself long ago.  Blast the man._

   The silence of the ship was absolute.  It was like a silent observer to her thoughts, a friend who was refusing to give an opinion for or against her reasoning, waiting for her to come to her own conclusions.

   _I guess that's the entire problem, isn't it?  Me refusing to allow myself to be who I am, refusing to admit that I have wants and needs.  I've ignored them for so long that I've forgotten what they are, but they haven't disappeared and now they're emerging and I can no longer identify them.  What **is it that I want?**_

   Winn laid in the dark for sometime pondering that question.  Her other two nieces had come in before she was ready to answer it.

   _I want to be me.  I want to be free to do what I want.  I want to be free to admit what I want.  I want to cut my hair.  I want to be held by someone who is not part of my family. Someone who cares for me.  I . . . Winn faltered at the thought and changed what she was about to say to, _I want to know more about Jack Sparrow.__

   Settling more comfortably under her nest of children and puppy, Winn tried to sleep.  Tried to shut down her mind.  It took awhile.  As she was finally drifting off, Winn had one last thought. _ I'll ask Cat to cut my hair tomorrow._

The next morning Grace stood outside Winn's cabin.  She had woken up alone in the cabin that she was supposed to be sharing with her children.  If Marcus had been here she might have enjoyed such a novelty, but as it was she thought it best to rescue her sister-in-law from her offspring.  

   Her knock had gone unanswered though, which meant that Winn was probably still asleep.  Grace hated to wake her.  She could tell that Winn had not been sleeping well lately, so if she was taking this opportunity to sleep in, Grace wanted her to be able to.  The thing was, there was no way that she would be able to carry all her children off in one or even two trips.  By the time the children were back in their rightful beds, Winn probably would have gotten up.

   Things would be simpler if Cat or Ryan were around to lend a hand, but this latest pregnancy was hitting Cat hard, and Ry was spending most of his time with his wife.  She supposed she could get a deckhand or two to help her.  Surveying her immediate surroundings, Grace saw Jack exit his cabin.  Smiling, Grace remembered the story that Winn had told her the previous morning.  The Captain would be a good person to help her.

   "Captain Sparrow!  May I ask your assistance?"

   Jack, always willing to help out anyone who called him by his preferred title, came over.  "What is it that I can help you with, Mrs. Morgan?"

   "I'm afraid my daughters have relocated to my sister-in-law's bed over the course of the night.  I'd like to bring them back to my cabin, but I'm afraid that making more than one trip will wake Winn up, and she hasn't been getting much sleep lately."  Looking at Jack slyly, her eyes full of mischief, Grace asked, "You wouldn't happen to know why that is, would you Captain?"

   Jack didn't think was possible, but he actually blushed faintly, a rosy undertone showing upon his tanned face.  "No, I haven't the slightest idea."

   Grace just smiled conspiratorially.  "Of course, I don't know why I would have thought otherwise, Captain.  Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me cart the girls back to my cabin."

   The opportunity to see Winn asleep was too good to pass up.  "Of course.  It would be my pleasure."

   _Why do I think his pleasure has less to do with my children and more to do with Winn?  Grace gave Jack a nod of thanks before opening the door to Winn's cabin._

   Entering behind the mildly pregnant woman, Jack looked around.  He had been right in his surmise that Winn's cabin would be much the same size as his.  In fact it looked identical to his own if one discounted the pile of children on the bunk.  _Is Winn even on that thing?_ he wondered.  It certainly didn't appear so, but upon further examination, Jack decided that the mop of dark hair at the head of the bed was Winn.

   Grace lifted the light sheet that was spread over the occupants of the bunk to reveal three children, a dog, and a woman, all fast asleep.  Motioning for Jack to come closer, Grace picked up Meggie and handed her to the man.  "I'm going to give you Zoë too, and then take Elsa.  Is that alright?"

   Jack nodded.  While he was somewhat apprehensive of carrying an armful of children, he took the other girl.  Glancing at Winn one last time before he followed Grace out of the room, Jack thought, _You'd better be worth this, luv._

The children were relocated without much fuss, although Zoë did wake up and fret for a minute or two.  Excusing himself from what he was sure was about to become a full-fledged fit of tears, Jack stepped outside.

   The sky was grey with unshed rain, and by the feel of the air, Jack knew it would fall before long.  It would be the first rain they had seen since putting out from Port Royal.  Glancing about him, deciding that this was as good a time as any to make his attempt, Jack walked back to Winn's cabin.  Letting himself in silently, he examined Winn in the dull light from the porthole.

   _Relaxed, was the first thing he thought when he saw her.  In that moment Jack saw how guarded she was, not just around him, but her family as well.  Winn slept on her side, one hand pillowing a cheek, a slight smile on her face.  __This is too good to pass up._

   Jack looked around the room and located Winn's sketchbook on the bench built into the room.  Picking it up, he opened it.  Turning past the page that held him looking at a sleeping Elsa in amazement, Jack started his own sketch.

   This wasn't a pastime that Jack often indulged in.  An ability to draw, beyond the ability to draw accurate maps, wasn't something that pirate captains often admitted to.  Jack had gone years without utilizing his talent beyond drunken sketches of a very sorry Barbossa.  But it was now natural to do such a thing, to speak to Winn in a manner that she would understand.  Jack only wished that he knew what he was trying to say.

   He sat for twenty or so minutes, drawing the sleeping woman.  When he was finished, he simply laid the book on the bed, where Winn would see it as soon as she opened her eyes.  He stood looking down at her for a moment, but when he started being tempted to do more than just look, he made sure to leave.  He had come to the decision the night before that if anything were to happen, Winn would have to be the one to start it, no matter how badly Jack wanted to simply take her to his bed.

   So for possibly the first time in his life, Jack turned his back on temptation for the good of another.  It was not something he could really remember doing (after all, pirates tend to do things for the good of themselves, not the good of others), but he didn't exactly regret it.  And if that was the worst thing he could say about the situation, then he really had no excuse to complain.  He shut the door after him, but not as quietly as he should have.

   The click of the latch catching woke Winn from her sleep.  Before she even opened her eyes, she knew that someone had been in her cabin.  There was a faint trace of . . . something in the air . . . a scent that soothed the normal morning crankiness that she usually portrayed.  Opening her eyes, she spied the sketch, just as Jack had meant her to.  _Jack . . . ._

   Picking it up, Winn heard the door to Jack's cabin close, could hear someone moving around inside.  Tilting the sketch towards the grey morning light, she blushed.  It was her, asleep.  A man was also in the picture, his back was to the looker, but she could tell who it was from the hair.  There was only one person she knew with hair like that.  _Oh dear . . . ._

Winn knocked on the door to her brother's cabin.  The morning's grey promise of rain had panned, out.  Tugging the hood of her clock closer about her face, Winn was considering knocking again when Cat came to the door, looking pale and wan.  "Rough day today?"

   "No more rough than any have been since we left Port Royal."

   "I'm sorry.  I should probably go then, and let you rest . . . ."  Winn trailed off.  She really wanted to get her hair cut, and Cat was the only person she trusted on the ship to come near her with a pair of scissors.  But if she wasn't feeling well, then perhaps it was best to wait for a more opportune moment.

   Cat read the uncertainty and indecision on her sister-in-law's face.  It was rare that Winn let anyone see such qualities in herself, so Cat was understandably eager to find out what (or more likely who) was causing Winn such distress.  "No, come in.  A bit of company and something to do will help me feel better.  If my children were here I have no doubt that I would be too occupied to feel the least bit queasy."

   "If you're sure . . ."

   "Of course I am.  Now come in out of the rain before you catch your death of cold."  Winn smiled and complied with her sister's demands.  "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

   "Umm . . . you know how I've been talking for years about cutting my hair?"  Cat nodded.  "Well, I've finally decided to do it, and I was wondering if you would do the honors because you're so good with hair and I'm afraid that if I ask anyone else to do it they'll make a massacre of it and . . ."  Winn stopped when she saw that Cat was staring at her.  "Sorry.  I'll stop rambling now."

   After observing Winn for several moments of silence, Cat picked up the conversation as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.  "I've never quite understood why you want to cut your hair.  It's so beautiful."  She started prowling around Winn, looking at her from all angles as if trying to decide where to start cutting.

   "I get sick of having to _do_ things with it, that's why.  It gets tangled easily, it falls out of whatever style I've got it in if it's too windy, it's always in my eyes . . . I just want to get rid of it."

   Cat knew there was more to Winn's sudden decision to get rid of her hair than that, but she wasn't about to press for details.  That Winn was here was enough to tell Cat that Winn wanted more than a simple haircut.  "How short are talking?"

   Winn thought about that for a moment.  "Umm . . . chin length?"  Her sister-in-law stared at her for a moment before taking hold of her chin.

   Tilting Winn's head this way and that, Cat said in a distracted and thoughtful voice, "Hmm . . . chin length . . . . I think that may actually work for you.  But are you absolutely sure about this?  You hair is beautiful no matter what style it's in; it's so vibrantly dark and thick."

   "It's coarse and confused."

   "So are you at times."  Letting Winn go, Cat asked, "You really want to do this?"

   "Yeah, I do.  I _need_ to do this, Cat.  I'm not sure why, but I do.  Do you understand?"

   Cat remembered a few times in her life when small decisions had meant the difference between sanity and madness.  Nodding, she said, "Yeah, I understand.  Now, get rid of that cloak, and strip down to your chemise – this is going to get hair all over the place and unless you want to come out as furry as your dog, I suggest you do what I say."

   Winn did as she was told.  As she was taking of her shirt Cat went to the door and directed one of the deckhands to fetch a large piece of canvass for her.  He returned momentarily with it.

   Placing the canvass on the floor, Cat turned a chair out from the table.  "Have a seat and we'll get started.  Just let me grab my scissors. . . ."  As she was rummaging through one of her trunks, her husband came in.

   "Freddy!  Out of bed already!  It can't be more than an hour or two before noon!"  He came over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.  "What has you in here occupying my wife so industriously?  And why aren't you wearing a shirt?" 

   Winn rolled her eyes.  "Cat's going to cut my hair.  I took off my shirt because she told me to, and you know that I always listen to Cat when she gets into 'captain's wife' mode, especially when she's pregnant."

   "I heard that."  Cat came over with a pair of scissors and several combs.  Accepting a hug and a kiss from her husband, she told him, "Go have some of the men start heating up water for a bath.  Winn is going to need to wash her hair after this; it will help bring out the full body of her hair."  When Ry did nothing but stand there and looking lovingly down at his bride, Cat said, "Go!  Let us get on about our work or we'll start talking about all the different symptoms and cravings we get during our monthlies."

   Ry left.

   Winn laughed at her sister.  "That was creative.  I must remember that little trick, even if it seems unlikely that I should ever need it."

   "I think you may be closer to needing it than you think."  Winn looked at Cat reproachfully, which really did no good since Cat forcefully made Winn look straight ahead.  "Keep your head there.  I can't do this if you're trying to watch my every move."

   Deciding not to question Cat's last comment about needing to know how to drive men away, Winn remained silent for a moment.  However, the need to ask the foremost question on her mind proved to be to strong.

   "Cat?" asked Winn in a quiet voice, "When . . . how did you know that you loved Ryan?"

   Cat had taken on an important role in Winn's life since she had come to Caribbean – that of an older sister.  After Winn's grandmother had died, she had gone to Cat on the rare occasions when she needed some kind of feminine advice.

   Cat knew this, and took all of Winn's questions seriously.  She knew about the past of her husband, about his family, and she felt sorry for this young woman who had so nearly managed to cut herself off from her own feelings.  Pondering her question now, Cat briefly wondered how much of this had to do with Jack Sparrow.

   "Well, I'm not totally sure about how to answer that question.  I really can't tell you when interest turned to fascination, and fascination turned into a need to be with Ry.  Or when that turned into love.  There are days when I wake up and love my husband, and others when I wake up and wonder when I'll actually come to love him.

   "Love constantly changes its definition over the course of a person's lifetime.  And it's never exactly the same for any two people.  Ryan said he knew I was the woman he was going to marry the first time he saw me, but he merely caught my interest at first.  Lift your chin a little."  Winn was confused for a moment, but then realized that she was supposed to raise her head.  Meanwhile, Cat continued, "When Bella was born, I was sure that I would never love my husband more than I did when I first saw him hold our daughter – and since then I've thought that with the birth of every one of our children.  Even when we _fight_, there's love involved.

   "If you're asking me to tell you how to be sure you're in love, or falling in love, or have found someone you might possibly come to love, I don't know what to tell you, other than when love does suddenly appear, or slowly becomes evident, you'll know.  You might not know that love is what you're feeling, but you will know that all of a sudden you can't remember what life was like before you felt the way you do."

   Winn sighed.  She had been hoping for a straightforward answer, some kind of crystal-clear standard that she could use to measure and define what she was feeling.  Apparently, things were not going to be that easy.  "Why is it that the more one thinks, the more one comes to realize that nothing makes sense?"

   "Because life isn't all about thinking, Winn.  Life is more than defining problems and finding solutions.  Sometimes it's nothing more than acting on pure instinct, reacting without analyzing.  And at other times it's a combination of both.  And what may have been true in the past may not be true in the situation you're currently in."

   The rest of the haircut passed in silence, Winn thinking about what Cat had said, and Cat wondering if Winn had any idea of the milepost she had just passed.  Her youngest sister-in-law was growing up.

   They were just about done when Ry came back in.  He stared at his sister.  Shaking his head in bemusement he asked his wife, "Are you ready for the bathwater yet?"

   "Just a moment, let Winn put on a robe or something, then yes, they can bring it in."  Cat brought Winn her robe.  "Here, put this on.  You will appear decent as long as you are in this cabin, missy."  With a significant look, she added, "However, how you decide to appear outside of it is up to you."

   As three men entered with buckets of steaming water, none of them sparing Winn a glance, she replied, "At the moment I'm more concerned about how my hair appears.  Where's a mirror?"

   "No, You can't look at it until it's been washed.  It'll look better, fuller."  When Winn opened her mouth to protest, Cat said, "Trust me."

Jack had spent the better part of the afternoon in his cabin thinking.  It wasn't something he did often – step back and look at what was going on in his head and his life.  Pirating left plenty of opportunities for reaction, but not much time for introspection.  He was used to thinking on his feet and then letting the past stay where it belonged.  Behind him.  But now he was facing a situation that refused to be shoved in its proper place.  

   Before when he had been interested in a woman, it had been a superficial, bed 'er and leave 'er affair.  There was no digging into pasts, no seeking her out to trade verbal barbs – in fact most of the woman before this seemed pretty much uninterested in doing anything with their mouths.  Well, except for . . . .

   _Why is it different with Winnie?  I want to **talk to the woman, for goodness sake.  When was the last time he had actually wanted to converse with a woman?  **__Never?  _

   Deep inside though, he had the sneaking suspicion that he knew what was happening, what he was starting to feel.  He had felt it once before, as a callow youth just starting his first venture aboard a pirate ship.  He remembered what the captain (a decent sort for a pirate) had told him then. 

_   "'Tis a luxury that th' sea does not afford.  Th' ocean is a jealous mistress, lad, an' she always calls 'er lovers back to 'er.  Th' luxury that ye would consider is not one affordable to pirates, for it brings weakness, an' a weak pirate is a dead pirate.  Th' only love a pirate can afford is that which can be bought from whores, an' that of th' sea, an' that of 'is ship.  Beyond that, any consideration of love must be tossed aside, for it will do naught but lead to a bad end."_

   And Jack had taken those words to heart.  As a young man the sea and a ship was all he had needed.  The sea was part of him now, the very blood in his veins nearly salt in itself.  But while the sea held him, it was also a very impersonal mistress.  Jack hated to admit that he had learned anything from Will and his lady, but the truth was he had seen them and wondered, actually _wondered, if he was missing something in his own life. _

   _Aye, but you're a pirate, Jack Sparrow, part of him whispered.  It was the part of him that had kept him existing those years without the __Pearl, the part that had cried out that dying without gaining revenge was unacceptable._

   But Jack also had a sense of humor, and a sense of adventure.  This was the part of him that had kept him _alive during those years.  The part that was optimistic, that came up with impossible plans and escapes.  It was that part of him that replied, __Yes, _but I'm **Captain** Jack Sparrow._ _

Winn didn't get back to her cabin until that night.  It had rained steadily all day long, the skies seemingly letting down an unending stream of water.  As a favor to Grace she had spent the afternoon telling stories and trying to keep three children occupied in a small space.  Now she was tired, a little sore, and a headache was starting to make its presence known behind her eyes.

   Sighing, she lit the lamp hanging from the ceiling.  Shedding her cloak, and making sure to hang it up to dry, Winn turned to look at herself in the mirror.  Before she could fully take in her altered appearance, there was a sharp knock on her door.  It flew open before she could even open her mouth to give her visitor leave to enter.

   Jack, wet, rain dripping off his battered hat, came into the room and shut the door behind him.  Taking off his hat and hanging it up on top of Winn's cloak as if he and it belonged there, he said, "Where have you been?  I didn't know anyone could make herself so scarce on a ship of this size."

   Winn was in no mood for any of Jack's nonsense at the moment.  Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Excuse me, but what are you _talking about and __why are you here?  And don't tell me it's because you'd never survive the extra five steps to your own cabin."_

   Jack drew back his head as if surprised, his eyes widening in mock offense.  "Of course not.  That's ridiculous.  I was looking for you because . . . ."  Jack trailed off as he noticed Winn's hair.  Or more precisely, Winn's lack of hair.  

   "Your hair . . . ."  Winn-with-long-hair was a small woman almost overpowered by her mass of hair.  Winn-with-short-hair was a surprisingly striking woman who drew a man's eyes to her.

   Winn rolled her eyes and instantly regretted it as she felt a stabbing pain in her head.  The headache that had been threatening had hit.  Feeling the deck start to gently roll and pitch under her feet, Winn wondered if she was coming down with something, but then realized it was just the wind picking up.  Leaning against the wall she closed her eyes, trying to dull the pounding in her head.  "If you've come to pick a fight, Captain, I'm afraid I must decline.  I've had a long day and all I want is to be left alone in the quiet."

   Jack was captivated.  There really wasn't any other word to describe the fact that he couldn't take his eyes off the woman in front of him.  He could see the slimness of her neck when she tilted her head back like that, the duskiness of her skin inherited from her grandmother.  Approaching her he said, "I can be quiet."  He whispered the statement to prove his point.

   Winn opened one eye and looked at him.  "Are you telling me," she asked in the slow voice of one trying to understand a particularly complicated conundrum, "Are you telling me that you want to stay here?"

   "Aye.  If it's want ye want, Winnie."  She kept looking at him, consideration in her eyes.  When Jack was within reaching distance he asked, "Why did you cut your hair, Winnie?"

   "Because I wanted to."

   "And what is you'd be wantin' now?"

   Instead of answering, Winn reached out and ran a hand down the lose collar of his shirt.  She sighed as if finding herself defeated, but not particularly upset about such a fact.

   Opening her mouth, Winn did what may have been the bravest thing of her life.  "I want you to stay . . . for awhile . . . until you upset me."  Stepping into him she whispered into his chest, "I have a headache, so don't get any ideas."

   "Making excuses already, just like a woman."  Jack wrapped an arm around her waist, the other coming up to rub her shoulders which were tense with fatigue and anxiety.  Bending his own head to kiss her, he was foiled when Winn turned her face away from him.

   "Just because I want you to stay doesn't mean you can get fresh with me, Sparrow.  I meant it when I said I had a headache.  If you're going to contribute to it, you may as well leave now, or I will."  Winn made to pull out of Jack's light embrace but he stopped her with word and deed.

   "Nay, if this is what you want, then I'm willing to settle for that . . . for a price of course."

   "Of course.  The price had better not be to steep, Captain, otherwise you'll find yourself out in the rain again."

   "I just want an answer to a few questions."

   "I thought we had decided that you had used up your questions the other night, Sparrow.  I don't know why you expect me to give you any answers."  When Jack made no other move to push her into intimacies she wasn't prepared for, Winn relaxed a fraction.

   "You're the one who decided that, lass.  I had no say in the matter at all."  Jack moved the hand at her shoulders up to the back of her head.  She tensed again, unsure of his motivation and not yet ready to trust his intentions.  "Relax, Winnie.  I still haven't heard a request to be bitten.  You're safe as long as you keep that request to yourself."  Jack started to massage Winn's scalp with surprisingly talented fingers.

   "Hmm . . . what is it that you want to know?"

   "How is it that you didn't know anything of your grandfather before you came out here?"

   "I suppose Father just thought it was better for us not to know.  If it had been know, if it managed to get out somehow, what do you think the consequences would have been?  There's still a rather large price on Grandfather's head in several different countries.  Do you really think that all men are scrupulous enough to leave the innocent unharmed in a quest for riches or vengeance?  You yourself were ready to trade Will for the _Pearl_ before you came to know him.  Also, the man lived half a world away.  He didn't have much to do with our lives."  Winn was still tense, but it was different in a way.  It was more like extreme awareness than anxiety, but at the same time she was feeling extremely lethargic.  She wondered if there came a point when a person was so tired they could no longer relax.

   "But your father taught you about pirates and sailing and navigating.  Weren't you ever curious why he was teaching you about such things?  They aren't exactly a normal course of study for a young girl."

   "Of course I asked.  But Father only ever said that I might need to know someday.  Can we sit down?  My feet are starting to hurt."

   Jack eyed the bench set into the wall doubtfully.  It didn't look the least bit comfortable.  "Sure, lass."

   Winn pulled loose of Jack, then moved over to bed.  She sat down on it, feet curled under her, back to the wall that connected their two cabins.  She cocked an eyebrow at Jack, a silent enquiry into whether he was going to join her or not.


	15. To Grandfather's House We Go

**Disclaimer:  Still not mine, but maybe if I put them on my Christmas list . . . **

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**Story Goings-on:**

   "Can we sit down?  My feet are starting to hurt."

   Jack eyed the bench set into the wall doubtfully.  It didn't look the least bit comfortable.  "Sure, lass."

   Winn pulled loose of Jack, then moved over to bed.  She sat down on it, feet curled under her, back to the wall that connected their two cabins.  She cocked an eyebrow at Jack, a silent enquiry into whether he was going to join her or not.

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While Jack may have developed a serious case of scruples (for a pirate) when it came to Winn, he was by no means respectable, a gentlemen, or any combination of the two – not that being a combination of the two really would have mattered.  What was the woman thinking to invite him to join her in bed . . . in her bed?  Even if it _was only to have a seat?  This, above anything else she had done or said, proved to Jack that Winn had no experience with men whatsoever.  __It's time she was taught a thing or two . . . ._

   Sauntering over to her bedside, Jack stared down at the woman who was continuing to watch him with expectation on her face.  "I find it odd that such an intelligent woman would be so naïve as to invite a man into her bed, especially a man who has made it clear that he wouldn't at all mind ensuring she didn't leave said piece of furniture until dawn was nothing more than memory." Leaning down, Jack placed a hand on the wall to either side of Winn's head, restricting her freedom of movement.  She swallowed and looked up at him with large but unreadable eyes.

   Bringing his head closer to hers, he said, "I may not have ravished you the day we met, the week you were on my ship, when we were alone in the brig where no one would have heard us, or when you were ever so conveniently undressing in front of me, but you _are_ tempting me, luv," Jack said matter-of-factly.  "There is only so much a man can take, and less that a pirate can.  You keep offering yourself, no matter how innocently, and you will find yourself on your back."  And with that, Jack darted forward to capture her mouth with his.

   This kiss was different than the others they had shared.  The others had been brief, spur of the moment, full of impulse and a hint of passion; this one was full of warning.  

   _And long.  Winn had to admit to some fear.  She wasn't used to __normal men admitting or even acting as if they found her attractive, not to mention someone as charismatic as Jack.  Before he had even started to kiss her, she had felt the force of his personality crowding her.  It warned her of her inexperience when it came to men.  But this kiss . . . she wasn't sure whether she wanted it to stop, or if she wanted it to never end.  Deciding that was a dangerous position to find herself in, Winn started to squirm, trying halfheartedly to break the kiss, but Jack wasn't having it.  _

   He removed one of his hands from the wall and buried it in her newly shorn tresses to hold her still.  Briefly pulling back to allow them both to catch a breath of air, Jack examined Winn.  Her face was flushed, her eyes wide in her thin face, her lips starting to swell from his attentions.  Deciding he had nothing left to lose, Jack returned to the kiss.

   When she made a sound of protest, Jack ended the kiss.  "Savvy?"

   "Savvy," came the whispered reply.  If she had been a ship he was attacking, he would have decided that she was ready to be boarded and taken.  Unfortunately, this was one surrender that he could not yet afford to accept.

   Winn noticed just how dark Jack's eyes were.  _Well, they're normally dark anyway, but now they're near black.  She shuddered when she wondered just how much darker they might get._

   It was that shudder that spurred Jack into action.  Releasing her, he said, "I think we've answered enough questions tonight."  Without another word he went to the door, and after collecting his hat, he left before he lost what control was left to him.  

   Winn sat motionless on her bunk, uncertain whether it was good or bad that he was gone.  But while the man might have been gone, his presence was still vivid in Winn's mind, his scent still in her nose, and his warning most definitely taken to heart.

Winn didn't emerge from her cabin until noon the next day.  As usual, Jack had given her much food for thought after their last encounter.  And as usual, she didn't know what to think about hew own responses, much less his.  At some point during the night she had decided to stop trying to _deal_ with things, and start . . . to start _being_ in them.

   The storm of the day before had moved on, the sun shining brightly on the deck and crew of the _Kingfisher.  Stepping out her cabin, Winn shook her head, still unused to the lightness of the feeling.  Looking around she spied Grace and Cat climbing up the stairs from the galley, Grace's daughters nowhere to be seen._

   She had started to approach her sister-in-laws to find out where the children were, when Ry called out to her from the stern, "Winn, just the woman I was hoping to see!  Would you come here for a moment?"  Waving to Grace and Cat, Winn went to her brother.

   "I'm so glad you've emerged for the day, Freddy," Ry said as Winn came up to him.  She nervously took note that Jack was standing with her brother.  It was obvious that the two men had been talking for some time by their relaxed stances.  

   Focusing resolutely on Ryan, Winn listened as he explained, "Crewe, my new first mate, has just reminded me of some business that needs to be completed before we arrive at Grandfather's tomorrow, and . . . ."  Winn nodded her understanding, not exactly liking the way her brother was examining her.  _What is he trying to find evidence of? she wondered before focusing back in on what her brother was saying.  ". . . my time, but Captain Sparrow here has some questions that really should be answered before we arrive."_

   "And you would like me to answer them."  Winn stated the favor before Ry could talk around it any longer.

   "Yes, if you wouldn't mind spending some time in the Captain's company, I would be grateful if you would do that."

   "No, it's perfectly fine.  Until the children reappear, I have nothing but free time on my hands."

   "Then that's settled.  Captain Sparrow, if I may borrow my sister before I turn her over to you?"

   "Take your time, mate.  I'm in no particular rush."

   Ry drew Winn a little off to the side.  "Winn, when was the last time you ate a full three meals in one day?"

   Winn looked at him.  Of all the things she could have imagined Ry asking (especially after time spent talking with Jack), this was last thing she had expected him to ask.  "I'm not sure.  Why do you ask?"

   "Because you have me worried.  I don't think that I've seen you in the galley even once on this trip.  You're already a tiny little thing, Freddy.  Eating might help you from disappearing altogether."

   Winn just looked at her brother as if he were insane.  "You know that I've never eaten a lot, Ry, and you're right – I'm not a big person.  I _don't eat a lot, but that's not the reason you've missed me.  The reason you haven't seen me in the galley is that mealtimes are the only times I have alone while on ship.  I need time alone, Ry.  You know that."  Ry just looked at her, unconvinced.  "Look, I stop by the galley at odd hours to beg food from Edward.  Just ask him yourself.  It's not as if I'm starving myself.  Stop worrying."_

   Ry sighed.  "I'm not.  Or rather, if I were I'd be worrying about something else entirely, and don't ask what because it will just make you mad."  Winn closed her mouth, a wry smile on her lips.  Ry kissed her forehead in preparation of taking his leave.  "By the way, Grace asked me to inform you that the children will be fully occupied today without your assistance, so rest up while you can.  Tomorrow you'll have fourteen rugrats begging for your attention."

   "Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I know.  Now, go get to work."  She left her brother to rejoin Jack, who was studying the second mate with a critical eye as he steered the ship.  She stood at his side silently, unsure of what to say, until he looked down at her – she was still barefoot.

   "Still speaking to me?"

   "Umm . . . not sure.  It all depends on what you want answered."  Winn looked up at the man beside her and wondered why she wasn't furious with him.  Just a month ago she would have had the spleen of any man who tried to teach her a lesson the way he had last night.  _But it was more a warning than a lesson.  Did that matter?  I still hate being pushed around by people – especially if they think it's for my own good.  So why am I not upset?  The obvious answer was too much for her to think about when standing.  Shaking her head, she realized that Jack had been talking to her._

   "I'm sorry.  My mind wandered there for a moment.  Can you repeat what you just said?"

   Jack looked at her as if she had grown a second head.  "You?  Let your mind wander?  Did it go anywhere interesting?"

   Winn flushed.  There was no way that she was going to explain where her thoughts had been running.  "Not particularly.  Did you actually want some information, or did you want to stand here and waste time all day?"

   Jack raised his eyebrows.  It sounded as if someone were a little peeved.  "I was wondering just what to expect when we land tomorrow.  I dislike being at a disadvantage, and only a fool would fail to discover what he can about an unknown situation.  I may be called many things, fool bein' among them, but I rarely fail to disprove those who label me that."

   Winn sighed.  This was going to be a long and difficult explanation.  "We might as well go down to the galley and get something to drink if that's really what you're interested in knowing about."

Winn led the way to a corner table, a steaming cup of tea in her hand.  Ordinarily she wasn't too fond of tea, but the cook had added copious amounts of cream and sugar to it, so it was at least palatable.  Motioning for Jack to sit down across from her, Winn started organizing her thoughts.

   Jack took a sip of his coffee and gazed at her.  He thought that she might have lost a bit of weight since they had crossed paths, but it could have only been the new haircut and the way that it framed her face, made her eyes more prominent.  There were faint smudges underneath her eyes, indicating that she hadn't been sleeping well lately.  Instead of her normal garb, she was wearing a simple burgundy dress, made of summer-weight wool.

   Winn looked up from her own thoughts to find Jack's eyes on her.  Glancing down briefly she said, "I suppose the best place to start is where we're going, and how it was founded.

   "We're heading for a small island community named Osprey Point, which is on an equally small island to the north and west of Great Inagua.  It was founded by Grandfather as a type of . . . retirement community for pirates, their families, and those who love the sea.  It's a working community where you'll find fishermen, craftsmen, smugglers, pirates looking for work, merchants, and even renegade redcoats.  The people live off what they make, and catch, and grow as well as what their seafaring relations send home."  

   Jack was fascinated.  He had never heard of such a place.  It sounded like a cleaner, more peaceful version of Tortuga.  "How did this settlement come into being?"

   "When Grandfather came out here, he was getting on in age.  By the time he was fifty, he was looking for a place to settle should he live long enough to consider retirement.  He had a wife and children to consider as well.  Eventually, he found a place that was remote and yet hospitable for the planting of a town.  Word was spread by his crew that this was a safe place for pirates who had families to base themselves.  

   "Over the years enough people moved there that entire crews could be raised from Osprey Point.  When Grandfather saw this, he decided that is was time for him to settle down, retire from pirating as it were.  Instead he started financing ships for promising young pirates and smugglers. That's how he lives now, off the income from those investments.  If it weren't for that he'd have gone broke decades ago."  Winn smiled, remembering how her grandmother used to make her help with the ledgers for the estate where she and her husband lived.  Winn had hated those lessons; math was a particularly worrisome skill for her.  The only thing that had made that time worthwhile was the stories that Grandmamma had told.

  Lost in memory, she was surprised when she felt a calloused hand close over the hand she had wrapped around her mug of tea.  

   "Where'd ye go, lassie?"  Jack thickened his accent, trying to make the wistful smile on Winn's face disappear.  It worked.  She smiled and studied the contents of her cup.

   "I'm sorry.  My mind is wandering horribly today.  I must have not have slept as well as I thought I had."  _I wonder if one can really tell the future by tea leaves.  I have a feeling that a little forewarning of this next week would not come amiss._

   "As long as the journey is a pleasant one, I don't see why you should be sorry."

   Winn shrugged.  "I'm just not used to forgetting my surroundings."

   "It happens to the best of us."

   "If you know about such things, then it must happen to the worst of us too."  There was no sting behind the comment, but instead a teasing warmth that surprised Jack.  Was Winnie flirting?

   "So this grandfather of yours just lives on this island doing nothing but counting his money and arguing with his wife, if she's anything like you that is.  That sounds like a rather good reason for pirates to grow old."

   "It does.  But Grandfather doesn't argue with his wife – or at least not that I know of.  You see, Grandmamma died five years ago.  It surprised us all, really.  Not that it was a sudden death, we all had time to come to terms with it, but she was about fifteen years younger than Grandfather.  I think we all expected her to outlive him.  But now that I think about it, Grandfather's so stubborn that he'll probably outlive all of us just so he can prove people wrong about how long a pirate can live."

   "He sounds like an interestin' person."

   "Interesting is a good word to use.  He loves birds, is completely obsessed with them."

   "I think I've noticed.  The _Kestrel, the _Kingfisher_, Osprey Point."_

   "That's nothing.  He named his estate 'Swallows Rest.'  Grandmamma joked that it was because he would devour rest in much the same way he had devoured other things in life.  In reality, swallows have just always been his favorite bird.  But he loves all birds.  He built an aviary last year, an enormous thing of glass and silk netting.  He must have nearly a hundred different species of bird living there now.  The most peculiar one being a flamingo named 'Marty.'"

   "Why is that so peculiar?"

   "You know how I have a dog?"  Jack nodded.  "Yes, well, while we're visiting, just consider Marty a dog.  It lives inside the house and follows Grandfather around.  It drives the maids mad because they're forever cleaning up after it.  Especially during molting season."  Winn looked at Jack with a secretive smile on her face.  "We'll just pray that Marty likes you, otherwise we may have some difficulty."

   Jack wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.  "What kind of difficulty?"

   Winn laughed, a free sound that made Jack want to kiss her.  (A lot about Winn made Jack want to kiss her.)  "You'll find out soon enough, should the unthinkable happen and Marty find your company undesirable."

   "How about you tell me now, or I'll torture you until I get the information?"  Jack leaned over the table, Winn leaning forward herself to meet him halfway across.  Before anything but their breath could meet however, Winn felt a tugging on her sleeve.  Looking down she saw her nieces there, all with very serious looks on their faces.  She tried to suppress a grin at their grave earnestness and at the soft curse that escaped Jack's lips.  Kicking him gently under the table, punishment for cursing around the children, Winn asked her nieces, "To what do I owe the pleasure ladies?"

   "Auntie Winn?  Are you married?"  Elsa's question left both Winn and Jack speechless.

   "Umm . . . no sweetie.  Why do you ask?"

   "You're spending a lot of time with _him_.  Mommy only spends a lot of time with Daddy."  Elsa eyed Jack with disfavor.  None of the girls wanted their aunt to lose time for them.  Even if it did mean another uncle to tell them stories and to give them rides.

   Winn chuckled.  "Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about, sweets.  Uncle Ryan just asked me to answer some of Captain Sparrow's questions."

   "Then why did it look like you were about to kiss 'em?" Meggie entered the fray, her mother's curiosity shining through.

   "Umm . . . ."  Winn looked at Jack and found that he was trying not to laugh himself.  Quickly looking away lest he set her off, Winn replied, "Captain Sparrow was having a hard time hearing me over the fuss you were making in the kitchen, so I was trying to make it easier for him to hear me."  Before either one could voice another question, Winn went on the offensive.

    "Now, what are you three doing out here?  I thought you were helping Edward make lunch."

   "So that be where those urchins escaped to."  Edward, the cook, emerged from the kitchen.  He was a tall, barrel-chested black man who looked as if he should be working in a smithy somewhere, instead of in the galley of a ship.  However, he was a wonderful cook.  "I was thinkin' I had an awful large amount of room to set my feet, then I noticed that I had no one underfoot.  I thought you girls were goin' to help me pull the taffy for after diner."  

   The two older girls went screaming into the kitchen, arguing about who was going to get to help first.  Zoë, however, decided that her aunt's arms were looking awfully empty.

   "Up."  Winn smiled and picked her up.  Looking back at her companion, somewhat relieved that the girls had interrupted the earlier scene, Winn asked, "Where were we?"

   Jack eyed little Zoë with a certain measure of resentment.  "I believe you had just warned me about your grandfather's foul tempered fowl."  Deciding that the previous mood had been totally and irrevocably broken, Jack asked his next question.

   "So Winnie, what do you think your dear grandfather has summoned me for?  And don't tell me it's for a raid on one of ships.  I can't believe that none of them have been raided before."

   Winn sighed, allowing Zoë to play with her hands.  "Honestly?  I'm not sure.  He's never done something like this that I know of or can remember.  It may very well be that he simply wants to meet the man who sailed off with his sails and with his granddaughter.  It could be that he wants to meet the infamous pirate who happens to share a last name with a variety of bird.  But it could also be for numerous other reasons that I can't even begin to fathom."

   Jack studied her silently, as if trying to tell if she told the truth or if she was retaining knowledge from him.  It seemed unlikely.  While Winn did keep her secrets, she was usually trustworthy when it came to answering direct questions.  Sighing, Jack commented more to himself than to Winn, "I guess we'll both find out tomorrow."

**Sunday:**

   The morning of their arrival at Osprey Point dawned as beautifully as anyone could wish.  Ry kept his crew busy for several hours, scrubbing the decks, replacing worn ropes with new, exchanging the patched and repaired sails with new.  If there was one thing that simply wasn't done, it was going to visit Grandfather with a ship that was anything less than ship shape.  Everywhere you looked there were people utilizing holy stones, mops, rags, and the other varied equipment required for housekeeping at sea.

   By ten in the morning the _Kingfisher_ was as tidy as she was going to get.  Tar stains no longer marred the wooden decks, the rails gleamed with a fresh oiling, and the sails shone blindingly in the bright Caribbean sun.  Now it was time for her passengers and crew to tidy themselves.  While the Morgans would not wear their best clothing until dinner that night, it was a tradition within the family to appear for "inspection" in their second best.  It was also a good idea to appear freshly bathed as well, but some people had a harder time believing that than others.

   "Listen, I know you're not really sold on the idea, but you're going to have to believe that I know what I'm talking about.  I hardly think that total submersion in warm, soapy water is going to kill you when cold salt water doesn't."  Winn was trying to ignore the big puppy-dog eyes that her audience of one was giving her.  Underscoring her words with a slashing hand gesture she said, "Don't look at me like that.  Just wipe that look of your face right now.  I don't know what your gripe against bathing is, and I don't particularly care at the moment either.  Either we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but you will be getting into that tub – even if I have to climb into it with you."

   "Is that a promise?  Because I'll gladly climb in if you'll be keepin' me company."

   Winn looked over her shoulder from the dog that was huddled underneath her bunk to the man standing in her doorway.  "I don't believe I was talking to _you_, Captain Sparrow.  Besides, you'd best watch yourself; you're next on my list."

   "Nonetheless, I would be more than happy to accompany you into yonder tub.  Think of it as a favor."  Jack flashed a particularly devilish grin – one that had no real effect on an irritated Winn.

   Under her breath she grumbled, "I'd rather you manage to get Pige into 'yonder tub,' so that I can give her bath.  That would be a favor worth receiving."  Winn was kneeling down on the floor by her bunk, trying to coax her pet out from the refuge it had chosen.  From her position on the ground, Jack looked incredibly tall.  Sighing, reining her mind in before it could go any further down _that_ path, she bowed down again, trying once more to reason with the recalcitrant mutt.

   _No good, no good, no good.  Jack had to almost forcibly remove his gaze from Winn's hindquarters.  __A bath might be a good idea at the moment . . . a cold one.  Moving into the room, Jack knelt down across from Winn.  "Here doggy. . . ."  Sticking his head and upper body under the bunk, he pulled Pigeon out by the scruff of her neck.  Without delay, he handed the dog over to her mistress._

   "Thank you."  Winn stood, noticing that Jack was staring at her again.  _Does the man know how to do anything else?  Before she could stop herself, the question popped out of her mouth.  "Why do you keep watching me?"_

   "Maybe it's because I like what I see."  Seeing Winn blush, he continued, "Then again, it might just be that I like to see trouble before it reaches me.  You're free to take your pick."

   "You callin' me trouble?"

   "No, but I did just imply it."

   Winn took a look at Jack, finally realizing that he wasn't supposed to be in her cabin.  "What are you doing here?  Cat was supposed to handle getting you into a tub.  No one disobeys her when she's in full 'captain's wife' mode.  I thought we talked about this yesterday, the whole looking nice/smelling nice thing that's done to greet Grandfather."  She dumped Pige into the smallish tub of water, quickly kneeling again when the pup tried to escape.

   Jack rolled his eyes.  "He's not my grandfather, now is he?  As for what I'm doing in here, I'm avoiding your delightfully forceful sister-in-law."

   "Ohh.  I see."  Winn got up from the tub she was kneeling by.  Pige had become resigned to her fate, no longer trying to escape, so it was safe to leave her unattended for a moment.  Crossing to the door of her cabin, Winn opened it.  Sure enough, Cat was in sight, plainly searching for her escaped quarry.

   "What are you doin', luv?"  Jack realized what she was planning a split second too late.  "No!"

   "Cat!  Are you looking for Captain Sparrow?"

   Cat grinned, and it was a sight to inspire terror in unwashed pirates everywhere.  "I might be.  Do you know where he is?"

   "As a matter of fact . . . ."  Winn stepped forward, just as Jack reached her, trying to close the door.  The force of his momentum caused the opposite to happen – woman and pirate tumbled to the deck at Cat's feet.

   As they fell, Jack wrapped an arm around Winn's waist, trying to absorb some of the impact.  It didn't work too well.  He managed to trap one of her arms at her side, and his own hand was clenched in a fist at her stomach.  As a result, Winn got the wind knocked right out of her when they landed.  

   "Oh dear."  Sighing, Cat pulled Jack up first, and then she tried to assist Winn to her feet.

   Shaking her head, Winn lay on the deck trying to get her breath back, but her diaphragm had taken a severe hit – it was totally and unequivocally refusing to work.  As happens so often when someone finds they can't breathe, Winn started to panic.  Grasping at her middle, a near hysterical refrain of _Can't breathe, can't breathe, can'tbreathe,can'tbreathecan'tbreathe . . ._ started to run through her mind.

   "What's wrong?"  Cat didn't like how Winn was laying there gasping like a fish out of water.  "Did you get the wind knocked out of you?"

   Winn nodded, still trying to breathe, tears leaking from her closed eyes when she couldn't.  Jack knelt down beside her.  "Calm down.  Panickin' won't help, Winnie."  He placed a large hand over her own, gently massaging the offended area.  He kept talking in a soothing voice, trying to get her to relax to the point where it would be easier to breathe.  Winn clutched his hand tightly, still trying to gasp, to fill her lungs.  She managed to get one lungful down before her diaphragm seized again.

   Slowly her diaphragm started functioning properly.  When she was no longer gasping for breath, Winn accused in a breathy voice, "You did that . . . just to get out of . . . a wash.  Admit it."  While the entire episode had taken less than twenty seconds from start to finish, her body was still flooded with adrenaline from when it had been convinced of the proximity of certain death without air.  She opened her eyes to smile weakly.  "Don't look at me like that.  I'm on to you.  Just wipe that look of your face right now.  I don't know what your gripe against bathing is, and I don't particularly care at the moment either."

   Jack smiled and helped her up.  Winn's breathing had almost returned to normal.  "Was that an offer to ease my ordeal?"

   Cat watched the two interact.  She wondered if Winn knew just how much she was giving away by her reaction.  Under normal circumstances she would have blasted the clod that had injured her – with Sparrow she was cautiously responding to his flirting.  There was definitely more going on than what met the eye when it came to Winn and her relationship with the pirate captain.

   "No.  It was an offer to hand you over to Cat's tender mercies.  Like it or not, Captain Sparrow, you'll be bathin' today before we dock."  Pulling her hand free of his, she shot a look at her sister-in-law.  Opening her mouth to continue the banter, she paused when she saw the look in Cat's eyes.  It was an evaluating, calculating look.  Winn didn't like it one bit.

   Backing towards her cabin, Winn told her sister, "Well, I guess he's all yours now."

   "I wouldn't bet on it."  Winn didn't hear the muttered comment, but Jack did.  To Winn she said, "I think I have things handled from here on out.  You missy, need to bathe that dog, get yourself bathed, and then need to get dressed properly.  You cannot meet Grandfather in that.  Go, get busy."  Winn did as she was told, and disappeared inside her cabin.

   _Not good.  Has anything been good this morning?  Careful to keep his face blank of anything but an innocent look that usually got women to do what he wanted, Jack said, "I can't believe that a lovely, not to mention capable lady such as yourself doesn't have anything better to do than ensure that I bathe.  Why don't you just–"_

   "Save it Captain Sparrow."  Cat gave him a hard look, appearing every inch the mother and wife of a sea captain.  "I have four sons who have that same exact look to get them out of whatever it is that they don't want to do.  Yours is not going to work with me.  If you procrastinate any longer you'll have a cold bath, which while I don't doubt that it would do you good, it won't be very enjoyable.  So if you will follow me?"  And that settled the matter of a bath.

The _Kingfisher_ sailed into a smallish natural cove several hours after midday.  Winn dressed in a chocolate-ty brown velvet dress that was trimmed in ivory lace and ribbon, stood at the rail, listening to her nieces with half an ear.  The rest of her attention was focused on decoding the look she had seen on Cat's face earlier in the day.  If she didn't know better, Winn would have said that Cat suspected something, but she was unable to say what.  _Actually I just don't want to think about what she might be suspecting.  It's going to be hard enough getting though this week with Jack around without . . . ._

   "Auntie Winn!  Are you listening?"

   "Yes sweet."  _This bodice is too low.  _Winn tugged at her bodice and sighed, trying to pay closer attention to her niece.  Any attempt she was making was destroyed when she heard Ry come out of his cabin, talking with his guest.  She tried to refrain from turning around, to keep herself from looking at a man who drew her attention as if it were a moth and he were the flame.  She knew that anything between them (should there be anything, which there wasn't) would be just as incendiary and futile as that doomed moth, so she did her best to ignore it.  It didn't work.  She turned and Jack caught her attention as surely as he had her fascination.

   He was dressed in clothes.  Not that he usually wasn't, but these were clean clothes.  And they looked good on him.  _Oh, do they look good on him.  He wasn't dressed in anything fancy – simple homespun breeches and vest, a linen shirt, bandana around his head, hat on his head.  His beads and other effects were still twined in his hair, and he was wearing his own boots and weaponry belts, but somehow he looked different.  _

   It maddened Winn that the difference escaped her.  She ran her eyes over the length of him several times, trying to figure out what she was missing.  _Eyes still lined in kohl, beads in place, pistol and cutlass where they ought to be . . . what is different?_

  Ry noticed the fact that Winn was noticing a rather lot when it came to the Captain.  He was watching for it, warned by his wife that his little sister seemed perilously close to falling in either love or lust with their pirate guest.  He had doubted Cat at first; he knew his own sister and her determination to end up a lonely spinster aunt.  _But here's the proof before my eyes._

  Winn noticed that Jack was not happy.  He looked as if someone had threatened to cut off his arm and then carried the threat out.  _I've already established that he has all of his appendages.  And all his beads.  And all his hair . . . ._  Winn covered her mouth is a kind of astonished horror.  Jack Sparrow was most definitely missing some of his hair.

   As he came over to stand beside Winn, a glower fixed firmly into place to forestall any questions from the children gathered around him, Winn took her hand from her mouth.  _I'm not imaging things.  How did Cat . . . **why did Cat . . . oh my goodness.**_

   "Let me guess – she insisted."  Winn didn't even mention what had been insisted upon, afraid that saying the words would just set him off.

   "Bloody woman.  I can see how people came to believe that women are back luck aboard ship.  Couldn't keep her blasted scissors to herself.  'But you look thoroughly disreputable.'  Never mind the fact that I'm a bloody pirate and therefore _am_ disreputable.  Never mind the fact that I happened to have liked it the way it was, that I was attached to it.  No . . . ."  Jack started mumbling things that made Winn widen her eyes.  She kicked him the ankle, no gentle kick, but not overly violent either.

   "I think I must protest your using such language around the children."  When Jack glared at her, she raised her eyebrows, pretending to be unimpressed.  "Besides, you can't be telling me that the famous Jack Sparrow, the man upon who finding himself a skeleton merely said, 'that's interesting' is bellyaching over a . . . over a little trim."

   "A little trim!" Jack yelled, losing composure.  "The bloody woman cut off my beard!"

   "Just the braids."  This comment from Meggie did nothing to assuage Jack's ire.

   In the face of his outrage, Winn did the only thing she could.  She started giggling uncontrollably.  She couldn't remember the last time she had honestly giggled, but the sight of Jack standing in front of her with all the overset dignity of a bearded lion swept away any control she had over the fact.

   At first Jack, the crew, and Winn's family merely looked at her as if she were daft.  But after a few moments Jack himself began to grin, albeit a wry grin at the situation and not necessarily at Winn's response to his complaint.  "Okay, luv, you've made your point."

   Standing up straight, a hand rubbing her side, Winn managed to contain her mirth.  Her eyes twinkled with it, and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing again, but she did manage to eventually calm down.  Looking out at the approaching settlement of Osprey Point, she continued tucking her amusement away until she could look at Jack with a straight face.

   "So.  She insisted."

   "Aye.  She insisted.  And I hope I never have to see her 'insist' upon anything else in my life."

The crew rowed the Morgan family and their guest to a secluded beach south of the settlement.  From the beach you could see a path winding up a gentle hill to a moderately sized house that was surrounded by many outbuildings.

   The little group gathered together, talking quietly.  The silence of the beach was broken by the shrieks and calls of a large group of children.  "Mamma!  Papa!  Auntie Winn!  Auntie Grace!  Uncle Ryan!  Auntie Cathy!"  The adults turned to see a rowdy flock of children running pell-mell across the sand.  The children belonged to Ry and to Richard, Winn's oldest brothers.  Behind the children came a group of adults following at a more sedate pace.

   Winn studied the group.  She found her grandfather, walking stick in hand.  With him were Richard and his wife, Sarah.  To her consternation she also saw Marcus, who had supposedly left several days after them, and two other figures that she took a moment identifying.  

  She recognized the two people at the same time Jack did.  "Why didn't you tell me that Will and Elizabeth were going to be here?" he asked her.

   "Because I didn't know they were going to be.  Trust me; I'd have let you know if you were going to have a few more allies here."

   Ry, overhearing their conversation, said, "Grandfather wanted it to be a surprise.  You know he's always wanted to meet them.  So, he finally did something about it.  Now, you'd better look alive, because here comes the horde."

   The group of children reached them.  For several long minutes all the adults but Jack were busy hugging, tossing, and greeting children.  Not that Jack escaped the melee entirely – he got his share of confused hugs from some of the younger children.  One tot in particular seemed unusually devoted to trying to separate his arm from his shoulder.

   Winn saw this, and picked the child up, making him squeal with glee.  Looking at Jack, she mouthed, "Sorry."  Jack merely nodded, unsure she'd be able to hear anything over the seething mass of children.

   "Enough."  The single word was spoken with the tone of a man accustomed to making himself heard over the elements.  Miraculously, ever single child, from the oldest, right down to little Zoë, heard and obeyed the command.  Jack looked up from the scene before him, right into the hard blues eyes of an old man.

   "You must be this Captain Sparrow I've heard so much about.  I make you welcome to my home."


	16. Bad Ideas

**Disclaimer: Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?**

    It's time to go get 'The Two Towers' on DVD or VHS?

    No, we're going to take over PotC!

    No we're not.

    We're not?

    No, it's owned by Disney.  We don't want to mess with them.

**A/N:  smile  I miss Pinky and the Brain!  I also miss the movie since I haven't seen it since August.**

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**Last Time on PotC Fantasy Hour:**

   "Enough."  The single word was spoken with the tone of a man accustomed to making himself heard over the elements.  Miraculously, ever single child, from the oldest, right down to little Zoë, heard and obeyed the command.  Jack looked up from the scene before him, right into the hard blues eyes of an old man.

   "You must be this Captain Sparrow I've heard so much about.  I make you welcome to my home."

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While Henry Morgan was a man of ninety or so, his mind and his eyes were still as sharp as they had been when he was a captain on the open seas.  The grip that he took Jack's hand in was firm, although not as strong as it had been years before.  He had silvery hair and a neatly cropped beard to match.  Looking at him, Jack found himself thinking of silver-tongued devils.  _This is a man who is used to having his every word respected as law._  "Aye, Captain Morgan.  I'm Jack Sparrow."

   Winn grinned when Jack failed to insert his preferred title.  Whether it was out of respect or cautious fear of Grandfather, it was the right move.  _Grandfather doesn't call anyone 'Captain' unless he feels they've earned the honor.  She was standing near Jack thinking that perhaps she could rescue him should Grandfather become unpredictable.  Out of all his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Winn held a special place in her grandfather's life.  On a certain level, they understood each other, although Winn still could not fathom what he wanted with Captain Sparrow._

   She shifted on her feet, thinking, _What is it that he wants?  _Having distracted herself, it was something of a shock to look up and find herself the center of Grandfather's attention.  She froze, knowing very well the old man's views on fidgeting.  Standing up straight, she was careful to wipe all emotion from her face as he started to prowl around her, noticing every change in her appearance.

   "I see you've finally rid yourself of those ridiculous spectacles.  Why?"

   Winn knew that she needed to remain formal until Grandfather made some sign to the contrary.  "I found that I no longer had a need for them, Grandfather."

   The old man nodded curtly, glad to see that Winn was as still able to tuck away her feelings – it was a skill he valued.  Emotion, unless there was some purpose it could be turned to, was weakness, and weakness was a vulnerability until one had someone to watch your back.  He had already decided that it was high time she had someone to watch her back.  If all went according to plan, she would taken care of before she left at the end of the week.  It was now a question of _who she would be leaving with._

   Deciding to ease up on the girl, Morgan turned his attention to her hair.  "What in the blue blazes have you done to your hair?  I send you out to complete some business for me and the next thing I hear is you've managed to get yourself shanghaied, and now you come home looking like a boy.  What's gotten into your head?"  While the words sounded gruff, they were said with affection.  

   Smiling, Winn curtsied and came over to hug her grandfather.  "Nothing's gotten into my head, Grandfather.  It's what's come off my head that matters."

   "Are you bein' impertinent, girl?"

   Winn cast her eyes down and meekly said, "No Grandfather – merely spirited."

   Morgan threw back his head and roared in laughter.  "That's what I want to hear.  It's glad I am to know that your recent adventures with this scoundrel haven't changed you, Winnie."  Sizing Jack up with his eyes, he asked, "He didn't take any liberties, did he?"

   "No Grandfather."

   "Hmph.  Not such a scoundrel then."  For some reason that Winn couldn't even begin to guess at, he looked disappointed.  "When I was a pirate I wouldn't have passed up the chance to at the very least kiss a pretty piece of muslin."  Turning to Will, who was standing with Elizabeth and watching the entire scene with amusement, Morgan demanded, "What say you, lad?"

   Will looked at Jack, smothering a grin when he saw how discomforted the pirate was by the old man.  "I say, are we sure he's not a eunuch?"  When Jack glared at him, Will widened his eyes in mock innocence.  "What did I say?"

   Winn smothered a laugh of her own.  Turning back to her grandfather, she said quietly, "I think you've intimidated the man enough for his first meeting with you, Grandfather.  It's not everyday you meet a living legend.  If you will excuse me?  I'd like to greet my brother and sister as well as our other guests."

   "Go on."  Morgan went off to inspect the rest of his newly arrived family.  Shaking her had at the old man's good natured orneriness, Winn greeted her middle brother and sister after making sure that Jack was safe in the company of Will and Elizabeth.

   "Freddy, it's good to see you safe and sound." Richard said.  "Sarah and I got word of your little adventure from Grandfather."  

   "Mmm . . . little adventure indeed.  I'm guessing that Marcus hasn't said a word about any of it yet?" Winn asked as she hugged her brother's wife, who was mute from a childhood disease.  Sarah reached up and fingered Winn's shortened tresses, nodding in approval at what she saw.

   "Oh no, he told us how you swam from Captain Sparrow's ship to Ry's.  After that, we decided that he must be lying to us because we all know what a horrible swimmer you are . . . ."  Winn smacked her brother.

    "I resent that."

    "You can resent the truth all you like, that still doesn't change the fact that you can't swim."  Richard had always been the one person in the family who could get her to laugh no matter how bad she was feeling, so she was willing to overlook the fact that he was giving her a hard time.

   "That's it.  I'm ignoring you right now.  Sarah, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go talk to Will and Elizabeth.  You are free to join me."  Winn left her brother laughing behind her.

   Coming up behind the group that included her two friends, Winn heard Elizabeth comment, "Really Jack, you're looking almost respectable."

   Before Jack could insist that she use his title, Winn stated, "Well, you know what they say about appearances."  The three turned to look at Winn as she came up.  "Lizzie, Will, good to see you again so soon.  Not to sound unwelcoming, but what are you doing here?"

   "I don't know.  What happened to your hair?"

   "It's not nice to answer a question with a question, Elizabeth Turner."

   "Only a respectable person would care about such things."

   "Are you saying that I am not respectable?"

   "I'm saying that you're just respectable enough not to get yourself hung, and past that, it's anyone's guess.  And you're avoiding my question."

   "Yes, well, you started avoiding mine first, so I see no point in ceasing to evade answering your question."

   Jack and Will looked at each other and started to sidle off, not wanting to get caught up in womanly nonsense.  Once they were a good distance away, they struck up their own conversation.  Elizabeth turned back to Winn after watching her new husband leave.

   "Okay, spill it."

    Winn looked nervous.  She didn't like the gleam in Elizabeth's eyes at all.  "What do you mean?  Spill what?"

   "Has my memory failed me?  I seem to remember a certain someone muttering  'I simply can't excuse the man's behavior . . . I don't like him because he's pushy, he enjoys annoying me, he dug into my past, he's rude, has no concept of personal space, I don't like him, and I don't like the way the man dresses.'  Wasn't that you?"

   _Blast her good memory._  "Yes . . . I said that.  If you remember all that so well, why are you asking whether I said that or not?"

   "Because _you_, miss I-never-met-a-guy-I-couldn't-dislike, were _flirting_."

   Winn gasped in indignation.  "I was not."

   "Yes you were."

   "Me, flirt with Jack Sparrow?"

   "Oh, yes."

   Winn closed her eyes in denial.  _This is not good._

"So, Jack–"

   "Captain, lad.  Captain."

   Will just looked at Jack with a look that said, _yeah right.  "So, __Jack, I hope you're not upset over that "eunuch" crack.  If you are, just remember that you're the one who started it."_

   "Why would I be upset about something that can easily be disproven?" Jack grinned devilishly.  "If I were to say the same thing about you, would Elizabeth be able to disprove it?"

   Will blushed, but refused to back down.  "What do you think?"

   "I think you're finally a man."  Jack glanced past Will to where the women stood having a heated debate.

   Noticing that Jack was distracted, Will turned himself, trying to discover what had caught Jack's attention.  What he found was his bride and his friend.  _What have we here?_  "Not all treasure is silver and gold, hmm?"

   Jack looked at Will with unreadable eyes.  "I have no idea what you're talking about, mate.  I must admit that you have a very fine woman there, even if she doesn't like rum, but I wouldn't dream of seducing the wife of a friend, even if–"

   "We both know that wasn't the treasure you were sizing up.  She's a friend, Jack.  Be nice."  

   Jack studied Will's eyes, seeing the seriousness and the warning in them.  _The boy is growing up.  Instead of answering, Jack merely nodded his head in comprehension, then turned back to watch the two women._

The rest of the day passed quickly.  The new arrivals were ushered up to the main house in a cluster of children and talking relatives.  Morgan had sent out men in longboats to retrieve the possessions that his guests would need.

   Winn found herself in her room, her brothers and their families occupying the majority of the rooms on the same floor.  Jack, Will and Elizabeth had been placed in consequent rooms, Jack's being at the very end of the corridor, about as far away as possible without putting the man on another floor altogether.

   The hours until the traditional formal dinner were passed relatively fast, for Winn at least.  She was promptly cornered by all fourteen of her younger relatives, and was forced to spend several hours telling stories, riddles, and jokes.  Around four in the afternoon, their parents came by to collect their children to change for dinner, giving Winn a chance to also change.

   Standing in front of the full length mirror in her room, Winn looked at herself.  She was clothed in a dress made of jade green silk.  The color of the fabric heightened the dusky color of her own skin and contrasted nicely with the blue in her eyes while making the green stand out in an understated fashion.  A strip of ribbon, a shade lighter than her dress, held her hair out of her face.

   Eyeing the sleeves and bodice of the dress (which was once again lower than she preferred), she wondered why dressmakers felt a need to swathe their creations in masses of lace.  Sighing, deciding that there was no getting out of the meal, she put on freshwater pearl earrings and a matching bracelet.  She was studying the cosmetics laid on the vanity wondering where Grandfather had gotten the idea that she'd ever wear the stuff, when a knock came on the door.  "Come in."

   Elizabeth entered.  Garbed in a champagne colored dress she looked every inch the governor's daughter, as usual; beautiful, graceful, self-assured.  "Oh, you look beautiful.  Are you ready?  Will and I thought we'd walk downstairs with you."

   Trying not to compare herself to her prettier friend, Winn held her hands out from her sides in a gesture of resignation and said, "I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

   The two women left the room to meet Will in the hallway.  He held out both his arms to offer escort, and the women took them.  Before they could reach the landing, however, a voice stopped them.  "Now Will – I'm sure I taught you about sharin'.  So how is it I come out here to find you hogging all the pretty ladies?"

   The threesome turned.  There was Jack emerging from his room, dressed in clothing loaned from Ry (he refused to accept it outright).  _Ooh.  He looks very nice.  No, bad thought, focus on something else.  Winn was in the midst of a crisis.  She suddenly realized that she was more than just a little attracted to the pirate.  Maybe it was the lack of braids in his beard._

   "You're staring, Winn."  At Elizabeth's comment, Winn jerked her eyes away from Jack and focused on the carpet underneath her feet.

   Will not noticing Winn's faux pas, said, "The only thing you ever taught me to share was trouble, and there always seems to be more than enough to go around whenever you join company with us.  I wonder why that is."

   "It must be that you attract trouble."  Jack came up and bowed semi-mockingly to the women.  "Mrs. Turner, Miss Morgan.  It's lovely to see you tonight."

   "Come off it Jack," said Will laughing.  "I think that Elizabeth and Winn have spent more than enough time in your company to not be charmed by you."

   "Sadly, you might be right.  It's hard to be charmed by a lowly pirate when you have the opportunity to be squired about by such a _handsome_ blacksmith."

   Winn and Elizabeth shot amused glances at one another.  "This is interesting," commented Elizabeth.  "How long do you think they can keep it up?"

   Winn tilted her head to one side and studied the two men judiciously.  "Well . . . I don't know about Will, but Captain Sparrow is certainly able to talk for extended periods of time, often without pausing for breath.  I think they could theoretically keep this up until the end of the week."

   "Wench!  Keep a civil tongue in your head!  I will not have my person slandered–"

   "Then stop saying things worthy of slander, Captain."  Turning to Will, Winn said, "If we may go downstairs to dinner _before_ the food goes cold?"

   "Not so fast.  I still seem to detect a grievous imbalance of pretty women."

   "Here, take Elizabeth."  Both Jack and Elizabeth were about to protest this pairing, but Will ignored them.  "She should be relatively safe in your company.  I'm not so sure about Winn."

   Jack pulled his head back, acting as if he had been greatly insulted.  "Nonsense, I'm as harmless as a newborn babe."

   "Yes.  That the newborn is a shark is of no consequence whatsoever."

   "Winnie, you've damaged my fragile ego."

   "If your ego were any more fragile, it would be as tough as diamond."

   Elizabeth interrupted before this could go any further.  "I think it's time we went downstairs.  Captain Sparrow, if you would be so kind as to lead?"  And with that, the foursome descended the stairs to go to dinner.

"Ooh, Richie, you remember that time, when we did that . . . that thing, and we ended up runnin' from a swarm of bees for . . . oh, it must'a been two miles?"  Things had degenerated from a stately dinner, to an all out drinking competition sometime after the children had been excused from the table.

   "Yeah.  What had we been doing?"

   Winn screwed up her face, trying to remember what had caused that little incident.  "I can't remember."  Picking up a nearby bottle of rum, she took a swig – one of many that evening.  Jack had to admit through his own rum infused brain that Winn was rather adorable when drunk.

  Memory flooded back with almost a physical sensation.  Winn stood up, and then quickly found herself sitting again, unable to stay on her feet.  "I remember.  We were tryin' to smoke them out of the hive, but accidentally caught it on fire, and _then_ they came after us.  Mum was so mad."  The two siblings laughed at the memory.

   Making a face, Winn abruptly stopped and staggered to her feet.  "I think I've had enough to drink.  It would pro'bly be good if I went to bed."  Winn nodded in agreement with herself.  "Yes, I _like goin' to bed."_

   Jack stood up, none too steady himself, but more aware than Winn was.  It wasn't a bright idea to be too drunk in unfamiliar territory.  "You need help?"

   Winn weaved on her feet for a moment, considering the offer.  "Help, help."  Looking at Jack vapidly she said, "You keep offerin' to help me go to bed.  Don't you?  I'm so confused."  In a confiding tone, she said to him, "I think I drank too much.  It's Richie's fault."

   "Tis not!"

   "Uh-huh!  You're the one who keeps bringin' rum to these reonions, removins," pausing, Winn carefully enunciated, "reunions.  Yes, you're the one who brings rum to reunions.  He-he, rum to reunions!"

   Taking Winn's arm, Jack started pulling her out of the room.  "I definitely think it's time you were in bed, Winnie."

   "Umm . . . are we talking about getting in my bed?"

   _Oh lord, tell me she didn't just say that._  "Yes, Winnie.  Your bed."

   "Oh . . . that sounds nice."  Jack rolled his eyes.  _You have no idea._

After several minutes, and a rather difficult trek up the stairs, Jack managed to deliver Winn to her room.  That should have been the end of it, except he couldn't get Winn to go into her room.

   "Com'on, luv.  You need to sleep off the rum."  Jack was trying to detach Winn's head from his chest for reasons that were almost beyond him.

   "Don' wanna.  You smell good."  Somewhere between her eighth and ninth shots of rum, Winn had started to lose control of pretty much all her higher levels of thinking.  Now that she was thoroughly and painstakingly drunk, all she wanted to do was hang on Jack like her younger nieces and nephews hung on her.

   And while this would have been fine with Jack under normal circumstances, there was no way he was going to be able to stay with Winn when her mind was so addled by alcohol.  "No, luv.  You need to go into your room alone."

   "Why?"  Winn was starting to sound petulant, which was nearly as adorable as a confused Winn.

   "Because that would be a good idea."

   Apparently this made some kind of sense to her.  "Oh . . . then I guess I should do it.  What am I doin'?"

   "Going to bed."

   "Oh, right.  Bed."  Winn started fumbling with the laces of her dress right in the hallway, much to Jack's surprise.  Her fingers weren't cooperating with her brain, so she wasn't having much luck.  "Dratted laces."  She looked up at Jack.  "Help me?"

   _This is not happening.  This can't be happening.  _Jack looked up and down the hallway – it was deserted.  Most of the family that was not already in bed was still downstairs getting drunker.  Will and Elizabeth were in their room – Jack absolutely refused to knock on _their_ door.  "Fine."

   Shoving Winn into her room, Jack closed the door and spun Winn around, which proved to be a mistake when she nearly fell over.  Hooking an arm around her waist, Jack quickly unlaced her dress and the corset underneath it.  Letting Winn go, he tried to leave, but was stopped by Winn herself.

   Winn knew that she wasn't quite as drunk as she appeared.  Yes, she was having difficultly walking, talking, and remembering, but her thoughts were only mildly fuzzy.  _Just fuzzy enough for me to do this._

   Wrapping her arm around Jack's neck, she brought the other hand up to run across his neatly trimmed beard.  "I like it.  Those braids were very piratey, but not very attractive.  Now you have just enough facial hair to look dashing."

   "Dashing?"  Jack was trying hard to ignore the fact that he had a half dressed, barely aware Winn in his arms.

   "Mm-hm."  Now she was smoothing his mustache.  "Dashign.  It's a good word."

   Jack was wondering how he was supposed to reply to this, but Winn destroyed any hopes of that with what she said next.  "Jack?  I think I want to kiss you."

   Staring down at her with wide eyes, Jack saw in her own that she was conscious of what she was saying.  That she was completely aware of what she was asking for.  That look in her eyes destroyed any intention of leaving quickly that he still may have harbored.  In a gravelly voice he said, "If that's what you want, luv, then I suppose you should do something about it."

   Winn nodded, her head tilting, eyes shutting halfway.  Running the fingers still on his face over his lips, she sighed, and kissed a man for the first time in her life.  It was a soft, hesitant kiss, no more than a soft pressing of lip to lip.  Winn sighed again, and brought herself up on toes.  This time, Jack met her halfway, and the kiss quickly grew in intensity.

   After a minute or two, Winn realized that she had been backed into the door, that Jack's hands were settled firmly on her hips, and that his kisses were starting to trail down her jawline towards her neck.

   "Umm . . . this may not be a good idea," she breathed, most of her mind focused on the pleasant feelings stirring inside her.  "Possibly even a bad idea."

   "Yes, very bad."  Jack was kissing the indentation behind her ear, his mustache and beard tickling the rarely touched skin there.

   "I'm serious, Jack.  This could get . . . ow . . . inconvenient."  Winn had said "ow" because Jack had nipped at the skin of her neck.

   "Very."  He was still kissing her, knowing he should stop, but not yet ready to.

   Tilting her head back so he could better access her neck, Winn said, "We should stop."

   "Aye."

   Winn noticed that despite his affirmative agreements, Jack was doing nothing that resembled stopping.  _Why do I want him to stop, again?  "Why aren't you stopping?"_

   Returning to her mouth, he whispered, "I'm a pirate.  I like bad ideas."  That was the last talking that either of them did for some minutes.  While Jack found Winn's mouth fascinating – even when it was hurling barbs and insults, especially when it was hurling barbs and insults – he was eager to taste the inside of her mouth.  Gently, as to not alarm her, he nipped on Winn's bottom lip.  She gasped, parting her lips in either retaliation or invitation, but Jack refused to wait to find out which.  His tongue surged forward to tease and caress her own.  She made a mewling sound, obviously surprised and pleased by this new development.

   Finally, when Winn thought her lungs were going to expire from a lack of oxygen, Jack pulled away, briefly nipping her lip one last time.  He rested his forehead on hers; breathing heavily in much the same was she was.  Pulling his head up, Jack was starting to say something when the door pushing open surprised both of them.  Moving out of the way, they watched as Richard and Sarah's youngest children came into the room.   Barely awake, they crossed the room to the bed and climbed in.  

   Jack looked at Winn and asked, "Don't any of these children know how to sleep in their own beds?"

   Smiling ruefully, Winn said, "I'm afraid it's a game of sorts.  The children migrate to my room by ones and twos to see how many of them can get into bed with me.  That's why I have such a large bed in here, to accommodate them."  

   She stopped, looking at the bed thoughtfully, thinking something that might not be a good idea.  _But the children will be coming in all night.  Surely having eight or more children in here could be considered chaperonage.  She looked back at Jack._

   Seeing the look he was being graced with, Jack warily asked, "What?"

   "Jack?  Umm . . . I was wondering . . . ."

   "Spit it out luv, it's getting late."  _And the rum is starting to wear off.  I should have drunk more._

   "Would you like to stay here tonight?"  Seeing the look on his face, she rushed to continue.  "More and more children will be coming in all night long, so it's not like we're going to be alone, and while I realize that may not be a big selling point for you, it's just that I'd really like to . . . to sleep beside you tonight.  While I'm still a bit tipsy."

   Jack almost refused.  He _should have refused.  But Winn had her hand wrapped in his shirt, right over his heart, and she looked so earnest.  Staring down at her he realized that whatever journey he had been making unawares was complete.  Whatever destination he had been unknowingly steering towards had been reached.  "Yes, luv.  I'll stay."_

   Winn smiled.  Slipping out of dress and corset, leaving her shift, chemise, and pantalets on, she led Jack over to the bed.  Getting in herself, she heard his boots hit the floor, then felt his weight settle onto the bed behind her.  One of his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her loosely to him.  Sighing in contentment, Winn whispered a soft good-night before instantly falling asleep.__

**Monday:**

   Will had spent the last half hour in Jack's room, to his grief.  _I have a new bride next door and what does she say to me upon waking? "Go see if Winn made it upstairs last night."  Not "I love you," not "I need you," but a rather unheard of version of "leave."_  But he did want to make Elizabeth happy, so he had left the room after making himself at least somewhat presentable, and had set off down the hall to ensure that Winn had made it to bed.

   _I think the woman knows how to care for herself.  If she wants to stay down stairs and get drunk, that's her business, as is how she makes it back upstairs._  Passing several rooms worth of Winn's family, Will arrived at Winn's door.  Opening it silently, hoping that the hinges didn't creak, Will found a scene that he wasn't expecting, not to mention one he didn't necessarily want to see.  _Winn certainly made it to bed last night.  In fact, it appeared that most of the household had made it to Winn's bed last night.  But that's not what concerned him.  If Winn wanted to let her nieces and nephews sleep with her that was her business.  It was the pirate in her bed that had Will unsettled._

   Deciding it was best to confront Jack in his own room rather than in Winn's, Will shut the door as quietly as he had opened it.  Walking back down the hallway to Jack's room, he poked his head in his own room.  Elizabeth was sound asleep.  Not surprising – neither of them were getting much sleep these days, not that they minded.  _Besides, it's better that she's asleep.  I'm not sure I want her hearing about this unless she **has to.  **_

   About to shut the door, he thought better of it and grabbed his sword from where it was resting near the jamb.  _This might come in handy.  Jack may very well have a good explanation for this, but then again, he might not._  With that encouraging thought in his head, Will set up vigil in Jack's room, waiting for the opportunity to hear why he had found him in bed with one of his best friends.  He took his opportunity when he saw the door knob start to turn.

Jack woke just as dawn was starting to throw banners of light into the night sky.  One of the many children now in the bed was talking vociferously in her sleep.  It didn't seem to disturb any of the bed's other occupants, but Jack had learned over the years to be a light sleeper (as all good pirate captains are).  He and Winn were in much the same position that they had started in last night.  Briefly, Jack considered going back to sleep, but the thought of what parents coming to herd children to their proper rooms would think to find him there made him discard that idea.

  Being careful to not disturb Winn as he got up, Jack managed to get out of the bed.  Despite his care, Winn turned over, seeking the warmth that had been at her back, and murmured, "Don't go."

   Leaning over her recumbent form, Jack whispered, "You're talking in your sleep, Winnie."

   "No I'm not."

   "Go to sleep, luv."  Winn sighed deeply and frowned slightly, but did as she was told.  Making sure that she was truly asleep, Jack left the room, making sure to be as silent as he could be.  Walking down the deserted hallway, he marveled at the fact that he had just come from a woman's bed with whom he had not had any strenuous activity.  It was a first.  _Well, there have been a few other times, but they don't count because I was dead drunk.  I didn't have **that much to drink last night.**_

   Upon gaining his room, he opened the door, and to his great surprise found himself face to face with an unsheathed sword.  His eyes boggled for a moment before traveling down the length of the blade to meet eyes with a rather interested blacksmith.  

   "Whoever said 'turnabout is fair play,' obviously wasn't a pirate," said Jack when he realized that Will was not immediately inclined to lower his sword.  "It seems to me that we have been in this situation before."  Smirking, he wondered, _What's got him in a snit?_

   Will realized how futile it was to try to intimidate this man.  If being imprisoned, fighting cursed pirates, or attending his own hanging couldn't manage it, then what chance did he have of doing so?  Sighing, he lowered his sword as he watched his friend walk past him.  "Jack, I thought you said you were going to play nice."

   Jack froze momentarily, for no longer than a second, but it was enough for Will to notice.  "I have no idea what you mean, lad."

   "Don't tell me that, Jack.  I saw how you just reacted to my question.  The Captain Jack Sparrow I know is normally able to lie better than that."

   Without turning to face Will, Jack said in a superior tone, "Lie?  You've hurt my pride, Will.  I never _lie_.  That's ever so pedestrian.  Conceal information, twist the facts, search for loopholes, talk men around – yes to all the above.  But I never _lie."_

   Will exhaled in impatience.  "Jack, I saw you in Winn's room.  In her bed, no less.  What were you doing there?"

   Jack spun around to face his younger, sometime protégé.  "Did you also happen to notice that not only were _both_ adult parties fully clothed, but so were the _eleven_ other children in that room?  What is it that you're accusing me of?  Taking advantage of an acutely drunk woman?"

   "You're a pirate, as you're so fond of reminding everyone within earshot.  It wouldn't exactly be unheard of."  Will spoke with the same ferocity that he had once used to persuade a jailed pirate to help him search for a missing woman.

   Jack turned away from Will.  Wearily he asked, "And if I did 'take advantage'?  Are you going to challenge me to a duel over the lady's honor?"

   Will had heard that world weary tone from Jack before – on the _Interceptor when he had admitted to knowing Will's father.  __Tell me that he doesn't sound like that for the reason I think he does, he thought as he watched Jack stand staring out at the ocean from the bedroom window.  "I think that Winn is more than capable of defending her own honor.  The question is, does she want to and if she didn't, would you go along with it?"_

   "Aye, lad.  That is the question."  Jack ran his hands over his face, daylight bringing into focus the discovery he had made last night – that Captain Jack Sparrow, a man famous and infamous alike for escaping traps, jails, ambushes, and clever set-ups alike had fallen for the very thing that pirates should avoid at all costs.  A woman who could eventually come to mean more to him than the sea and his ship.

   Will, perhaps aware of what was going through Jack's mind by some kind of empathy shared by those who had discovered love, picked up Jack's sword.  "There's only one thing to do," he said as Jack turned at the slight noise the scabbard made against the plank floor.  Will tossed the sword to Jack, who caught it and looked at him with curiosity.

   "I thought we had already determined that it was unwise to cross swords with a pirate."

   "We're not crossing swords – we're taking your mind off Winn."

   "What makes you think I was thinking about Winn?"

   "Because I've seen that look in my mirror – or at least I did before I got married."  Jack looked horrified.  "Let's go.  There's light enough to fence by."

_It's not as if anything **happened** last night.  _It was an hour or two past dawn.  The children had been reclaimed by their parents, and Winn was alone in her room.  And for some reason alone felt lonelier that it had in the past.

_   Right, spending the night in the arms of a pirate certainly qualifies as "nothing."  Stop fooling yourself._  Winn rolled her eyes in irritation at the voice that kept poking at her fallacies.  _That's why you couldn't get back to sleep this morning – there was "nothing" holdin' on to you._

   _It **did mean nothing,**_ she insisted to herself.  She looked out her window, thinking to distract herself.  It didn't work.  Right outside her window, albeit several feet down, Jack and Will were engaged in some sort of duel or contest.  By the amount of sweat adhering the shirts to the chests of the two men, Winn could surmise that this had been going on for some time.  

   She watched as the men stopped briefly, arguing over some trivial point or minor technicality.  Will said something that made Jack stop and look thoughtful for a moment before he once again started talking earnestly, his arms swooping around in the air.  Will shook his head in negation of whatever point Jack had been trying to make.  Jack simply stared at the younger man for a moment before attacking without warning.  Will easily blocked the move and the dance continued.

   _That's an awfully attractive piece of nothing for you to be staring at._  Again the voice pricked at her with irony and sarcasm.  _Why don't you just admit to yourself that–_

   "Because there's no future in it, that's why!"  Talking aloud in sudden exasperation, Winn tried to reason with the inner voice, as if spoken words had the power to drive away words voiced by a hidden and buried part of her soul.  "He's a sailor, a captain, a _pirate.  How uncertain is the life of a pirate?  How many people are out for his head?  At the end of this week he'll be back on the Pearl where he belongs, and my life will return to normal.  It won't if I admit . . . if I give in to a temporary feeling.  I've seen what happens when someone gives away parts of themselves that they can't afford to.  When the pieces are lost the person dies, and they hurt the ones close to them.  I won't be like that.  I won't be like __her."  _

   Turning to look out the window once more, she wondered, _So where does that leave me?_

_   Alone,_ whispered the part of her who had been so vocal recently.  

   Biting her lip, Winn said aloud, "Then so be it."

Winn managed to hide in her rooms until lunch, but eventually hunger drew her downstairs.  _Not that I have any reason to hide, _she thought as she entered the dining room.  It was loud and noisy in the big room, her brothers trying to get their families fed with the least amount of trouble.

   Seeing that sandwiches had been laid out along with bowls of fruit and pitchers of juice, Winn simply grabbed some food, wanting to leave before she was noticed or engaged in conversation.  She sighed in defeat when she felt a tap on her shoulder.  Turning, her mouth already open to make her excuses, she was surprised to feel her sandwich get pulled out of her head.

   "Marty!  You know you're not supposed to eat that!"  The large bird took no notice of the scolding, swallowing as much of the ham sandwich as he could.  Winn tapped her foot.  "You know," she told the flamingo as if imparting precious knowledge to a colleague, "you are never going to be a pink flamingo if you don't stop eating people food."  Marty just twisted his head upside down and studied her.  "Don't look at me like that.  We both know it's true."

   "Why is it that I seem to find you talking to animals more than to people lately?"

   "It's either I find them to be better conversationalists, or I've been in your company too long, Captain Sparrow."  Jack was taken aback at Winn's frosty tone.  He wondered if she was regretting last night, as innocent as it had been.

   "Winnie–"

   "Please excuse me, Captain, but I seem to need to find a new meal."  Winn left Jack speechless behind her.  Contrary to her words, Winn left the dining room altogether, pausing only to pick up an orange and a bunch of grapes.  Marty looked at Jack with fowl-ish indignation before letting out a honk that sounded remarkably goose-like.

   "Tell _her_ that."

   Feeling a hand on his elbow, Jack turned to find Elizabeth standing behind him.  Nodding towards the door Winn had left through, she said, "You left her to her own thoughts for too long, Captain.  She's rediscovered her vow of eternal loneliness."  Catching Will's eyes from across the room, Elizabeth started to lead the captain out into the garden that was accessible from the dining room.  When Will started to follow them, she shook her head.  What she had to tell only needed to be known to Jack.

   "You know luv, while I do find you reasonably attractive, I try to avoid liaisons with married women.  Especially married women whose husbands just might be able to match me in a sword fight.  If I must fight a duel I'd rather have it be over something important, like a man spilling my rum."

   Elizabeth rolled her eyes.  _Is the man **ever serious?  "Just have a seat Jack.  There are some things I think you need to know about Winn that she is unlikely to ever tell you."**_

   "Why would I –"  Elizabeth looked at him with enough disbelief to make him pause.  _The dratted woman isn't going to buy anything I say, blast her eyes._  "As I was saying, I'm all ears."

   "That's better."

Winn had almost made it to the staircase that would lead her to her room when she heard her grandfather call her name.  _Today just doesn't seem to be my day.  Composing her features into cold neutrality, Winn turned around.  "Yes, Grandfather?" she said politely, "You wanted to see me?"  Marty came up beside her, trying to beg more food off her.  "Go away, you Labrador in a bird's body.  I think I've fed you enough today.  Leave me in peace," she muttered._

   "Talking to yourself?"

   "No, trying to make this overgrown parrot of yours realize that he is not exactly welcome at the moment."

   "Hmm.  Well, don't just stand there, girl.  Come into my study.  There's something I need to talk to you about, and some people I'd like you to meet."

   Winn closed her eyes, trying to quell the annoyance that was rising up inside of her.  All she wanted to do was find someplace quiet to tend the wounds that she had caused herself.  "Of course, Grandfather."

   Entering his study, Winn found three men sitting in various chairs scattered about the room.  When she entered, they all stood, although it seemed to be more out of respect to the man behind her than in any acknowledgement of her gender.  "Winn I would like to introduce you to three of the captains that are sailing for me at this point in time.  

   "This," he gestured to the nearest man, a younger captain with red hair, squinty hazel eyes, and a more than liberal dusting of freckles, "is Captain Jonathan Monroe, of the _Sea Falcon_."  The man before her lifted his hat in recognition.  Murmuring a polite something or other, Winn wondered what was going on.  

   Not noticing her reticence, Morgan moved on.  "Next I would like to introduce you to Captain Michael Becket, of the _Raven's Flight_."  _I bet, thought Winn.  __The man certainly appears as if he should be captaining a ship named after a black bird.  The captain in question had a thick shock of blue-black hair and black eyes that glimmered with something that made Winn slightly uncomfortable.  _

   She merely nodded at the man as her grandfather introduced the last man in the group.   "And this is Captain Timothy Stone, of the _Nightingale_.  This man had a mass of chestnut curls that fell into eyes that were nearly the same color, and a broad smile.

   Smiling weakly in return, Winn looked at her grandfather.  The shrewd look in his eyes unsettled her considerably.  "Grandfather, what –"

   "Why am I introducing you to these men?"  Winn nodded mutely, her stomach sinking, her gut tightening in apprehension.  "The answer is simple.  You will choose one of these men by the end of the week."

   Unable to voice more than a whisper, Winn asked, "Choose one for what?"  She asked the question, but was dreading the answer.

   "You will choose one of these men to be your husband, and you will be married before you leave here at the end of the week.  This notion of yours, that you can care for yourself and that you need no one in your life will end before any of us is a year older."

   Winn in her shock and confusion, felt the world start spinning and saw the world go black before her eyes.  _I think I'm about to faint._


	17. A Grandfather's Decree

**Disclaimer:  If you haven't figured out by now that this isn't mine . . . . .**

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**Two Lose Ends to Tie:**

**With Jack and Elizabeth:**

"Just have a seat Jack.  There are some things I think you need to know about Winn that she is unlikely to ever tell you."

   "Why would I –"  Elizabeth looked at him with enough disbelief to make him pause.  _The dratted woman isn't going to buy anything I say, blast her eyes.  "As I was saying, I'm all ears."_

   "That's better."

**With Winn:**

   Unable to voice more than a whisper, Winn asked, "Choose one for what?"  She asked the question, but was dreading the answer.

   "You will choose one of these men to be your husband, and you will be married before you leave here at the end of the week.  This notion of yours, that you can care for yourself and that you need no one in your life will end before any of us is a year older."

   Winn in her shock and confusion, felt the world start spinning and saw the world go black before her eyes.  _I think I'm about to faint._

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   "Just have a seat Jack.  There are some things I think you need to know about Winn that she is unlikely to ever tell you."

   "Why would I –"  Elizabeth looked at him with enough disbelief to make him pause.  _The dratted woman isn't going to buy anything I say, blast her eyes._  "As I was saying, I'm all ears."

   "That's better."  Elizabeth settled the skirts of her dress around her as she took a seat on a conveniently placed stone bench.  Satisfied with their placement, she looked at Jack who was still standing.  Raising her eyebrows, she asked tartly, "Are you going to have a seat?"

   Jack leaned firmly on the wall behind him.  Just because this woman had things to say that he was interested in hearing didn't mean he had to listen to her.  "Can't say that I am.  If you have something to tell me, luv, please do so."

   Elizabeth rolled her eyes.  "Please, understand that not only is this hard to do, but that Winn will most likely kill me when she finds out I told you, so don't go about acting as if _you're_ the one doing _me a favor.  Winn is a very private person.  But she wasn't always as bad as she is now."  Elizabeth sighed in remembrance, then started her narrative._

   "Winn and I grew up together, or more precisely, I grew up while having her around.  Our mothers had been great friends as children, and after they married they continued their association despite their different social circles.  Every week, Mother would go to visit Clair, Winn's mother.  I would spend my time playing and tagging along after Winn and whichever of her brothers that happened to be around.  They simply treated me as another child, unlike at home where I was the only daughter of a man steadily growing more admired in political circles.  Sometimes I think Mother felt more comfortable at the Morgan's than she did in her own home."  Elizabeth shook her head, trying to remain on track.

   "When Winn's father died, her mother seemed to loose any interest she had left in living.  She simply gave up on herself _and_ on her family.  Winn cared for her.  She wouldn't let anyone but Mother help, and that was grudgingly.  What Winn didn't know was that Clair had been sick with consumption for some time, and that her father's death simply hastened her mother's.  My mother knew which is why she insisted upon caring for her friend – she didn't want Winn to work herself into exhaustion, to lower her resistance to the disease.  Ironically, by doing so, Mother caught it herself and died about a year and a half later.

   "After her mother had died, Winn started to act like a different person at times.  Not all the time, but when someone would reprimand her, or chastise her for wild behavior, she would . . . I don't know.  She seemed to melt in front of you, drawing into herself.  But that was the extent of it.  Other than that she was happy, well adjusted, if a little too conscious of the fact that she had been taken in and was living off of charity."  

   Elizabeth paused in her story.  Her part in all this was going to be hard to admit.  Looking at Jack, she saw that she had his full attention, that he looked more serious than she had ever seen him.  Lifting his head in acknowledgement of her tale, Jack asked, "What is it that you're puttin' off saying, luv?"

    Studiously rearranging her hands in her lap, Elizabeth continued her tale.  "Winn was normal until the death of my mother.  You see, my paternal grandmother had come to run the household during the last days of my mother's illness.  She had never accepted the fact that Mother wished to keep friends from her childhood instead of making friends that would help influence and advance Father's career.  So when Mother died of a disease she had caught from a friend, Grandmother lashed out at Winn.  She told Winn that it was all her fault that not only had her own mother died, but that mine had died as well.  She said that had Winn been a better daughter, she would have been able to care for Clair on her own, that her mother would have found the strength to live and care for her own daughter.  

   "She went on and on for nearly an hour, and the entire time I sat in the same room with them and said nothing to defend my friend.  She only even looked at me once, with a strange look on her face.  It was as if she was trying to gauge my reaction to what was being said.  I was young and still in shock from losing my own Mother, so the conviction in Winn's eyes didn't register to me until later.  Not until I realized that Winn had started laughing less, had started behaving herself more.  

   My incorrigible playmate, my partner in crime was gone.  Instead there was a stranger living with me.  She still told fantastic stories that made you lose all sense of time, still would sing sea shanties as she went about her work,"  Elizabeth shook her head.  "But she had started wearing those glasses.  I couldn't tell what she was thinking anymore.  When I would try to give her a hug good-night she'd accept it, but she'd manage to keep herself distant on some level."

   Looking up from her lap, Elizabeth spoke straight to Jack.  "It's as if she became afraid to love anyone.  I noticed it.  Her brothers noticed it when she came out here.  She was still Winn Morgan, but it was as if she had an invisible wall around her that kept her from truly interacting with any of us.  We would see what she wanted us to, and anyone who pressed for more got lashed with the sharp side of her tongue.  The only time that she truly let herself be herself was when she was too angry to do anything else.

   "But you, Jack Sparrow, you managed to invade her little fortress somehow.  Your mistake was giving her time to think about her situation.  She's a quick adapter, and once she's decided that something fundamentally **_is_, it's hard to convince her otherwise.  And she's once again decided that being alone is what she wants, so she's trying to remove you from her life."**

   Standing up, Elizabeth approached Jack.  "I've seen the influence you've had on her, Jack.  It's a good one.  You've gotten her out of her shell for the first time in years.  I don't know what it is that you want from her, but I think I may have an idea.  I've seen the way that you look at her."  Forestalling Jack's objection to that statement, she continued, "I doubt that anyone else really has, or credits it to more than you being flirtatious, but we've all noticed how Winn acts around you.  She may not want to admit it, and you may not want to admit it, but she feels something for you.  And if I know my friend, it makes her mad and she's fighting like anything against what her heart is telling her.  She'll _keep_ fighting until she feels it's safe to stop."

   Elizabeth stood, shaking out her skirts.  "I don't know want you want, Jack, but I think you have the right to know that should you want it, she would be yours, totally and completely, once she got used to the idea.  She's never been one to come around to any way of thinking without a fight, so if you decide you want her in your life you're going to have to convince her of that."  In the distance they both heard a door slam.  

   Almost as if it had been a signal for life to resume all of the children came racing out the patio doors, yelling and screaming as if they would never have another chance to do so.  Under the cover of their youthful hollers and howls, Elizabeth gave Jack one last piece of advice.  "What you do with the story I just told is entirely up to you.  I would advise you to think about what I said though.  Nothing with Winn is ever easy, mostly because I think she enjoys being difficult.  She may make your life a misery, but it would at least never be dull."  And with those parting words, Elizabeth left to find her husband.

"You will choose one of these men to be your husband, and you will be married before you leave here at the end of the week.  This notion of yours, that you can care for yourself and that you need no one in your life will end before any of us is a year older."

   Winn in her shock and confusion felt the world start spinning and saw the world go black before her eyes.  _I think I'm about to faint.  When the world steadied again and her vision returned, she found herself disappointed.  A faint would have provided a rather convenient escape from this._

   Winn found she was having difficulty breathing.  Shock and rage were coagulating into a mass of emotion that was beating at all the controls she had.  One by one each wall, every defense, all her barriers were swept away in a single wave of emotion.  In the face of such passion there was only one thing she could do.

   She looked at her grandfather, the full force of her horror and pain in her eyes.  He was still speaking, so did not notice the anguish in her face.  "If you fail to make a selection from the available captains on this island by sundown on Friday night, then your brothers and I will decide who will suit you best and you will marry them on Saturday.  Either way you will –"

   Somehow she managed to whisper a single word past the lump in her throat.  "No. . . ."  Turning, ignoring Morgan's commands to come back, Winn raced from the room, unable to say where she was trying to go except for away.  Reaching the front door she threw it open, and then slammed it shut as she exited the house.

   Blind to what was around her, she ran.  She ran without destination, without purpose, thinking in a muddled fashion that if she ran fast enough she would be able to leave this mess behind.  But she couldn't run fast enough to escape the echoes of her name on the wind or the sound of running footsteps behind her.

   She was grabbed from behind, abruptly stopped.  "Let me go!"  The hands on her shoulders spun her around even as she fought to escape.

   "Freddy, stop.  It's just me."  Ry was afraid he knew what had set his little sister off.  Grandfather must have hatched his plan, but from the looks of it, it had backfired more than he had expected. 

   "Let me _go_!"  Winn continued struggling.

   "What happened?"

   "Please –" Winn became aware of the tears running down her cheeks.  It was more than she could take.  Stomping down in the same motion that had made Jack release her when they had first met, Winn tugged herself free.  And once free, she continued running.

   _I can't, I can't, I can't!_

Winn wandered down the streets of Osprey Point, not really seeing what was going on around her.  She had tired herself out running to the settlement which was some four miles from Swallows Rest, and had spent what was left of her stamina wandering the streets in a daze.  The only thing that kept her moving now was the emotions still roiling inside her.

   She had reached a point where she could no longer think, her mind exhausted and unwilling to begin processing her grandfather's decree.  When she had come of age she had thought that she had successfully escaped being married off to suit an old man's whim.  Apparently she had been more wrong than she ever could have imagined.

   Her journey led her past the respectable houses and shops of upper Osprey Point down to the seedier lower section of the town.  Warehouses and taverns alike had sprung up, many of them having been in business since the settlement had been founded.

   Dusk was approaching, although Winn didn't necessarily notice.  She did notice, but with the same inattention that she noticed that the air was growing colder, her feet were growing tired, and she was growing hungry, but these seemed inconsequential when compared with her grandfather's announcement.  It was this very inattention that led Winn into dangerous territory. 

   Winn had been passing a darkened alley, still unconscious of what was going on around her when she was grabbed by a pair of arms and slammed into the plank wall of a dilapidated warehouse.  "Lookee what we got 'ere, Johnny, Tooth.  A skirt wand'rin' the streets lookin' for a bit of bizness."  Winn snapped to herself only to find herself cornered by several unwashed and extremely drunk sailors.  She didn't even waist time trying to verbally correct their mistake.  Instead she went directly for her hideout knife.  She managed to knife the one holding her, sending him to the ground, before the other two attacked.

   In the fracas she was thrown into the side of the building, her head slamming into the wall with a great deal of force.  She howled in pain and rage.  Losing control of an already frayed temper, she attacked blindly and was pinned to the ground for her efforts.  Whoever had pinned her started reaching for her skirts, animosity rolling off him in waves, when a blur knocked him to the side.

   Before when could even stand up her attacker was unconscious and the last fleeing.  "Well, I must say that you waste no time getting yourself into trouble, spitfire."  Getting to unsteady feet, Winn turned to her rescuer and to her great surprise found a friend.

   "Alex?  Alexander Thomas?"

   "I'm so glad that you remember me.  I was afraid that maybe your sense had been taken by whoever lopped off your hair."  Alex came forward to offer a supporting hand to the woman who had been a near constant companion in his teens.  He was shocked when she let him support her weight, nearly collapsing against him in fatigue, pain, and the aftereffects of fear.  Holding her as he would a sister, he asked, "What's wrong, spitfire?  Don't tell me that these thugs got the better of you."

   "Nearly."  Winn glanced at the man she had killed, her stomach rolling uneasily at the sight.  It was one she never got used to seeing.  One she thought it would best if she never got used to seeing.

   Pulling herself upright, she swayed as the pain in her head intensified before settling into a dull pounding.  She moaned, then whispered in an enervated voice, "I hit my head pretty hard."

   Alex guided her out of the alley.  "Well, better your head than something that could have actually been damaged."  Walking to a nearby horse, he lifted her into the saddle with only a small amount of difficulty.  "In harbor for only two days and already injured.  I think you may have broken your old record."

   "Sod off."  When felt the world start into sudden motion beneath her.  "Where are you taking me?"

   "I assumed that your home would be a good place to start."  He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her on the horse.

   "Ughn . . . ."__

   "Hold on.  I know you don't like horses, but we'll have you in your own bed in no time."

Henry Morgan stood in his study, looking out his window at the cove before his house as he listened to his grandsons quietly take their seats behind him.  Winifred had taken things harder than he had predicted.  Sighing in regret, he gripped the back of his chair as his heart started beating out of time once again.  He waited for it to settle back into its normal rhythm before he took a seat.  "I trust you all know why I called you in here?"

   Ry, in an unusually bad mood from having his littlest toe broken by his younger sister replied, "Does it have anything to do which why my toe is broken?"

   Morgan frowned, his eyebrows nearly meeting over his nose.  "Just because you taught Winifred to defend herself is no reason to be disrespectful, Ryan Mitchell.  As long as I am the head of this family, you will address me with respect.  Is that understood?"

   Ry nodded, somewhat shamefaced.  "Sorry, Grandfather."

   Silence reigned in the room for several moments.  Richard shifted uncomfortably in his chair, a nervous habit when he wanted to say something he didn't think would be well received.  Morgan looked at him.  "Speak up, boy.  I don't care if you think I won't like it, I will have you be an honest man."

   "Well . . . if Winn reacted so strongly to the . . . the, umm, suggestion that she get married, then hadn't we –" he didn't get to finish the sentence.  In an unprecedented move, the Morgan women barged in on the conversation between their men.

   "What was that all about?" demanded Cat.  She was in full captain's wife mode, something that even Morgan had to grudgingly respect.  "I have never in my life seen Winn so upset.  What have you _men done now?"  The word 'men' rolled from her lips in the same way one might say 'incompetent fools.'_

   Morgan stood up.  While he might admire courage in a woman, he also expected them to know their place.  "It is obvious that my grandsons have failed to school you in the proper courtesies given to the head of this household. . . ."

   "Oh, we know what the 'proper courtesies' are, we just don't care at the moment.  What did you do to make Winn so upset?"  Cat, usually a good humored woman, felt her own temper starting to smolder in the face of this male superiority.  "Dance around the issue all you like, but we will have an answer before any of us leave this room."

   Grace and Sarah came up to flank their sister-in-law in unvoiced support of this rebellion.  From the looks on their faces, all the men knew that they meant what they said, as well as many other unspoken threats.

   Richard had always been the first to fold among the three brothers.  Staring at the floor, he muttered, "Grandfather told Winn that she had to get married before the end of the week."  This information was met with silence by the three women.

   "You idiots.  You poor, ignorant, clueless, oblivious, idiots.  How is it that you can read the skies and the winds so well, yet be so _insensible to what is going on in the life of your own relations?"  Elizabeth had joined the little party, having set Will and Jack the task of making sure none of the children did anything too dangerous.  She joined the three other women who immediately picked up where she stopped._

   "Have you no eyes in your heads?" asked Grace.

   "Have you not seen how Winn has changed?" challenged Cat.

   Morgan had had enough of this mutiny.  "If you cannot keep civil tongues in your head you shall all be banished to your rooms for the remainder of this visit!" he roared.

   "If you don't stop promoting your own agenda and start thinking of your granddaughter, you're going to lose her forever!"  Cat was not about to back down.  "What made you think of such a harebrained idea as an enforced marriage in the first place?"

   Ry spoke up, somewhat in awe of his wife.  "Well, you're the one who pointed out the difference in Winn's behavior, and you're the one who said –"

   "Did you not stop to consider the cause of those changes?!" his wife interrupted.  "People don't change a lifetime of behavior simply because they wake up one morning and decide to!  There has to be a catalyst that makes them stop and think about how they're living their lives.  Have none of you even remotely considered what that may have been in your sister's life?"  Silence met this question.  Cat and her supporters looked disgusted.  "When did you first notice a difference in the way that Winn was behaving, Ryan?"

   "The day we left Port Royal?"

   "Is that a question or an answer?"

   "An answer."

   "Good."  Cat turned to Elizabeth.  "Did you notice a change in Winn when she came to visit you?"

   "Yes.  She seemed to be distracted, as if there was something on her mind that she couldn't stop thinking about."

   "Grace?  How about you?"

   "Oh, yes.  On ship she acted as if the children were a refuge for her instead of her being an adored form of entertainment for them."

   "Sarah, what did you notice?"  Sarah reached up to touch her hair.  She pantomimed it falling around her face.  "Oh yes, she cut her hair."

   Giving each man a quelling look, a warning to keep his mouth shut until her point had been made, Cat continued.  "Anyone else have anything they'd like to add to this list?  Wearing dresses more often?  Skipping mealtimes?  Getting rid of her spectacles?  We're agreed that these _are changes, correct?"  The men nodded.  "Good, then here's the icing on this badly mixed cake.  Winn asked me what love was aboard ship.  How an emotion could be recognized.  Have none of you noticed that _no one_ asks such a question unless they themselves are falling prey to love?"_

   This last caught Morgan's attention.  "You're tellin' me that my granddaughter has fallen in love?"

   "No, we're telling you that she was in the process of admitting that she was falling in love, a process that has undoubtedly been halted due to _your heavy-handed decree."  All of the women glared unilaterally at the men irrevocably convinced that such incompetence could only be perpetrated by the male of the species._

   "If you think that you have so many answers, then why don't _you tell me who my granddaughter has fallen in love with?"_

   "Who did she have a run in with before she started changing?"

The family had settled down to a tense dinner when Alex arrived at Swallows Rest with Winn.  It was the most uncomfortable for Will and Jack who hadn't yet been informed of the afternoon's events.  The children took no notice of their uncommunicative elders, talking and laughing, and occasionally squabbling among themselves.  The first thing any of them knew of their guest was a shout coming from the foyer.  "I've found something that I think belongs to you folks!  You'd better come claim her before she collapses at my feet."

   Setting her napkin down firmly, Cat got up from the table.  The other's followed after her to find a shockingly pale Winn being held in the arms of a man with blond, sun-bleached hair.  "Oh my goodness!  What happened, Alex?"  Cat had been introduced to the young man some years before.

   Before he could answer, they all heard Winn feebly protesting, "Set me down, Alex.  I think I'm capable of standing on my own feet."

   "That's why you collapsed the last time I let you try, right?"  Winn merely groaned in reply.  

   "Just because I like you doesn't mean –"

   "– that I can get away with that.  I know.  You've been saying that for years."  Alex released Winn to Ryan who had come up at a look from Cat.  He leaned over and pecked his friend on the head, saying, "I'll be by tomorrow to hear the story behind all this.  It'd better be good, or I shall be severely disappointed in you."

   "Ry, take Winn up to her bed.  I'll be up in a minute."  Watching her brother leave, she asked the man before her, "Where did you find her and how did she manage to get covered in blood?"

   "I found her in an alleyway being accosted by three men who seemingly thought she was a cheap prostitute.  The blood came from the man she managed to knife before the other two set in.  She's gathered a rather impressive goose egg on the back of her head that ought to be looked at before she goes to sleep."  Alex nodded to each of the rooms occupants, "Captains Morgan, Mmes. Morgan, guests – I'm afraid that I must take my leave.  I'm already running late for a rather important meeting with some rather shady characters.  If you will excuse me?"  Alex's eyes were caught by a strange man in the back of the group.  He pulled them away when the Morgan patriarch stepped forward to bid him goodnight.

   "Of course, Captain Thomas.  Thank you for returning my granddaughter to us."

   "It was my pleasure."  And with that, the man let himself out.  Jack watched him go with unreadable eyes, wondering just what that man's connection was to Winn.


	18. So Winn Fair Lady

**Disclaimer:  In addition to not owning any of the PotC characters, scenes, lines, etc., I've decided that I don't even totally own Winn.  She's something of a conglomeration of me and my friends.**

**Author Note:  The wedding!  We've actually reached the wedding!  It probably won't be in written in much detail, seeing as how most of my readers are begging, pleading, imploring, and demanding more Winn/Jack action.  We'll that's what my reviewers and demanding – I hope I have more people reading this than just those who review.  Just to make me feel better you should review if you haven't yet.  : )**

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**Last Chapter Ended This Way:**

   "Captains Morgan, Mmes. Morgan, guests – I'm afraid that I must take my leave.  I'm already running late for a rather important meeting with some rather shady characters.  If you will excuse me?"  Alex's eyes were caught by a strange man in the back of the group.  He pulled them away when the Morgan patriarch stepped forward to bid him goodnight.

   "Of course, Captain Thomas.  Thank you for returning my granddaughter to us."

   "It was my pleasure."  And with that, the man let himself out.  Jack watched him go with unreadable eyes, wondering just what that man's connection was to Winn.

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"So let my get this straight – Captain Morgan has issued an ultimatum that if Winn does not choose a husband within the next three days, then she has to marry someone her grandfather chooses?"  Will looked from his wife, to Jack, and back to his wife.  With wide eyes and an incredulous voice he asked, "Does Jack know yet?"  

   "What do you think?"  Elizabeth looked at her husband suspiciously.  "Would it matter if he _did_ know?"  Will shifted his feet nervously.  "What aren't you telling me, Will?"

   "Well . . . you remembered how you asked me to check on Winn this morning?"

   "Yes.  You said that she appeared to be in perfect health . . . . You're not telling me that –"

   "No!  No, no, no.  But I did find Jack in the room with her.  And afterwards we had a talk.  You know, the normal, 'If you hurt her, then you'll regret it because she'll come after you' thing."  There had been a lot more to it than that, but he didn't think his wife needed to know that.

   Elizabeth shook her head.  "I remember when I used to wish for a more complicated life."

Jack stood across the hall from the room where Catherine Morgan was busily tending to her sister-in-law's wounds.  He had noticed the two lovebirds down the hall whispering and throwing glances his way.  _If things have degenerated into that, I certainly don't want to know about it._  Instead he was focusing his energy on solving the puzzle that had been thrust into his hands.

   _I suppose I don't have anyone but myself to blame, really.  I knew from day one that Winnie was going to end up a particularly distracting puzzle.  I didn't have to take the woman off her bloody ship.  I didn't have to come after her when she left.  I didn't have to stay in the room when she came up from the wedding early.  And yet, for all the things I did that I didn't have to do, I'm no closer to solving this puzzle than I was when I first saw her._

He watched with steady eyes as Cat cleaned the blood off Winn's face and sponged some from the back of her head.  _If anything, I've managed to collect pieces.  Not the least of which is a strange fascination for this unconventional woman.  Winn didn't respond to Cat's gentle probing of her injury.  She sat pale and quiet, murmuring responses to questions only when more than a head motion was needed.  _Look at her.  She's foolhardy, has a wicked temper, is shrewish and naïve by turns.  She's not exactly pretty, has no figure to speak of, has no idea when to back down from an argument, and generally insists upon having her own way.  __

  Winn turned her head at the direction of her sister, and found herself staring into a pair of dark eyes.  She held them, already in a trance-like state from her weariness.  _If Jack were an option . . . .  _She didn't know it, but her eyes started to fill with longing.  Not for sex, but for understanding, for comfort, for companionship, for the memory of being held through the night.

   Jack held Winn's eyes, and read what she desired in them.  It wasn't a thing he was used to seeing in a woman.  A desire for his money?  Yes.  Occasional desire for his person?  Yes.  A desire for more than that?  He soaked in the gaze and felt the stirrings of a similar desire in him.

   Winn saw that, and all of a sudden an all too visible veil dropped down behind her eyes.  She turned her head away from him with a barely restrained violence.  "Cat?" she croaked.  "Please, just _stop fussing and leave."  Winn held up her hands in front of her, palms facing out, as if to ward off any more care.  "I'm not one for your children who is suffering from a scraped knee.  I'm tired.  I just want to sleep.  I'm sorry if I'm a crank right now, but I really need to be alone."_

   Cat got up, and shook out her skirts around her.  She understood the woman before her was upset, but that didn't change the fact that she was dead wrong.  "No, Winn.  You _don't_ need to be alone," she said crisply and precisely, making sure that every syllable of every word was understood.  "But I am not the company you need.  You know whom you want to be with, so just stop fighting and resisting like a little girl who needs to have a tooth pulled, and grow up and admit it.  You're not going to be happy until you do."

   Winn stared at her in astonishment.  Cat, noticing that she had nothing to say, left the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

   Winn sat on her bed, unable to do more than gaze at the door blankly.  _Sleep, that's what I need.  I just need to get some rest.  Blowing out the candle, Winn got into bed, sinking into mattress and pillows bonelessly.  Closing her eyes, she saw Jack in her mid, his eyes still boring into hers.  _I can't.  I'm too close to loving the man as it is.  It's bad enough I must marry.  To marry a man I could come to love would be awful.  Did I learn nothing from mother?__

   To Winn's relief, sleep soon claimed her and stopped any conscious thought.  However, her dreams were nearly as bad.

_Winn was being pulling in three different directions.  One force was pulling her forward, another back, and one was holding her in place.  She could hear voices, but couldn't see where they were coming from.  _

_   Focusing her attention on the force dragging her back, she found that her grandfather was one of the voices.  He was ranting and raving about marriage, about how a woman needed someone to care for her.  How a woman is incomplete without a man.  She tried to stop listening to him, but his voice held her in much the same way that the dream did._

_   When she could take it no longer, another voice came to the fore, a familiar and missed voice.  It was her mother.  Winn shook her head in denial of what she was hearing.  Her mother telling her father how much she loved him.  Sobbing when news of his death reached them.  Screaming for him in the delirium of fever.  Whispering his name on her last breath.  Winn felt sobs racking her own body, but couldn't hear them over the agony inducing words.  She would go crazy if she had to listen any longer.  She'd –_

_   A new voice broke through the fog around her, a new force pulled at her numbed body.  It was a voice that had quickly come familiar to her – one she had heard raised in amusement, lowered in anger, roughened by passion, and whispered in tender caring.  "Winnie.  Luv, I'm here.  Stop your strugglin', lass.  Shh.  Shh.  Look at me, Winnie.  You know that's what you want.  You know **I'm what you want."**_

_   "No.  I don't.  I don't need you.  I **can't **need you."_

_   "Come to me, Winnie."_

_   "I can't move, even if I wanted to."_

_   "Yes you can.  You already have."  The fog around her parted slowly, wisps of it congealing around the sources of the other two voices, muffling their words.  Winn found herself looking at Jack, and beyond him, herself._

Winn sat bolt upright in bed.  She was shaking, trembling uncontrollably, tears running down her face.  She started rocking back and forth, trying to comfort herself, trying to remain silent.

   A pair of arms encircled her.  She jumped, a small cry escaping her lips.  "No, go away," she begged.  Jack's scent enveloped her, invading her last defenses.  "Not now, not like this.  I don't want you to see me like this."

   "Why don't you want me to see that you're human, Winnie?" he whispered.  "What's so horrible about your past that you can't allow yourself to be human?"  Winn ripped herself from his grasp in a sudden burst of adrenaline.

   Throwing herself out of bed, Winn hesitated between flight and fight for no more than a second before deciding to fight.  She had to, for the sake of her sanity, her way of life, and most importantly, for her heart.  

   "You want to know what's wrong with me?"  While her voice remained below a whisper, it was filled with everything she was feeling: fear, pain, loneliness, rage, confusion.  It all combined into an anguished tone that lent incredible strength and conviction to her words.  "You want to know why I don't _allow myself to be human?  It's because I'm not.  I haven't been for years.  I'm half a person who wanders around wondering what she did that was so horrible that her own mother would rather die than stay with her."_

   Winn tossed her head in contempt.  "I've heard my brothers, their wives, my friends, all of them talking about how I'm afraid to love.  That's not true.  What the truth is, is that I am not worthy of being loved.  Just like my mother."

   Jack stood up, realizing that over a decade's worth of poison and hurt was spilling out of Winn's heart and mouth.  He knew that it was pointless to argue with her at the moment, that anything he had to say would fall on deaf ears.  The poison had to come out one way or another.  It was best to play along.  "Why do you say that, Winn?"

   "Why do I say that?  I told you about my life, Captain, at your insistence.  I told you how my father loved my mother, but that he was always leaving.  The truth was that he loved the sea more than he did his family.  The only conclusion I can make from that is that there was something _lacking in __her, in _us_."  Winn laughed bitterly, on the edge of hysteria.  _

   "Then yes, there's my mother.  A woman who died because she gave part of her soul to a man who was careless with it.  I looked in her eyes the day that the crewman delivered the news.  I saw her soul die, her heart stop, her will melt.  It was like watching a beautiful statue of ice suddenly collapse into a puddle of muddy water.  And _still, she cried out for him on her deathbed.  Not the daughter who stayed by her side and tended her, but for the man who abandoned her."  Winn wrapped her arms around herself, still trembling uncontrollably._

   "And who can forget my brothers?  You know what they did after I informed them of Mother's death?  They sent letters back asking if I wanted them to come out.  As if they didn't care that I was alone, left in a household without family.  Of course I wanted to come out, but they never said that _they_ wanted me to.  That's when I knew there had to be something wrong with me.  That I had done something to drive others away. 

   "So I resolved to be perfect.  To never do anything that would cause anyone to want to leave me.  And should I find myself alone, I decided that I would do everything in my power to be able to survive on my own.  I decided not to love, because I was my mother's child and I would end up like her in the end.  Married to a man who loved something else more than me, giving him a piece of me that would be treated with all the respect afforded a rag rug."  

   Winn let out a single sob before composing herself enough to continue.  "Now do you understand, Captain Sparrow?  Do you see why I fight to keep myself apart?  Do you see that no matter how I wish things were different, that they can't be because I can't change?"  She hung her head, the constant shivers turning into convulsions of pain, her body going limp with what she believed was the honest truth and the knowledge that she was about to be left by the one man who had ever even tempted her to fall in love.

   Jack had discovered just what he was feeling as Winn spoke.  _Bloody inconvenience, indeed._  He started walking towards her, silent and unnoticed.  Winn was breathing in the jerky way of one who is trying not to cry.  Reaching her, he lifted her head, framing her face in his hands.

   He didn't speak at first.  What was there to say?  He couldn't argue with what Winn had said, it was too firmly rooted in her for that.  There was nothing he could do or say to ease the pain, only time and Winn herself could do that.  But perhaps he could give her hope, and make her see that while she could do and say everything she could think of to drive him away, he didn't plan on going anywhere.  Or on letting _her_ go anywhere for that matter.

   Smoothing his thumbs over her cheekbones, Jack said quietly, "Come to bed, love."  He held her eyes, hoping that she had heard the difference in a name he constantly called her.

   Winn stood looking up at him for no more than an instant before the tears in her eyes spilled over.  She slumped into him, burying her head in his neck as sobs started wracking her body.  She clung to him as a fiercely as ivy to a trellis, allowing him to scoop her up and take her over to the bed.

   Jack stayed in Winn's room that night, simply holding her as she let go of a pain that she had been carrying for years.  He stayed awake thinking long after she had fallen into an exhausted sleep, drained mentally, physically, and spiritually.  She had drifted off still holding on to him as she allowed herself to fear being alone for the first time in many, many years.  And allowed someone else hold that fear off.

   Holding her in his arms and looking down into her sleep smoothed face, Jack realized one important thing that night, and one minor thing.  First he realized that he never wanted to let her go, and secondly, that his life had just gotten a lot more complicated.  

   Staring into the dark, he wondered, _If that's true, then why the devil am I smiling?_

**Tuesday:**

   Winn found it difficult to wake up the next morning.  Several times during the night, she had started to awake, but had felt so completely safe that she had gone back to sleep.  Now, just a mere half hour past dawn, a knocking at her door woke her.  

   "Mmm . . . ."  Moaning, Winn stretched in a most feline fashion, her body pressing against that of the bed's other occupant.  She could feel each and every muscle in her body stretching like an old rubber than had lost its elasticity.  It felt good in the same way that pulling a tooth or removing scab did.

   Abruptly relaxing again, Winn felt the bump on the back of her head start throbbing again.  _Not to mention that I'm feeling a bit wobbly.  As soon as she thought that, she realized that she wasn't imagining the fact that her pillow was moving up and down underneath her head.  And that there was an amazing amount of room in the bed.  Her train of thought was derailed when once again there was a quiet knock on the door._

   Opening her eyes, she found that what she had taken for her pillow was in reality the chest of the man that she had tried to drive away the night before.  _That certainly wasn't very effective.  No matter how much Winn tried to regret last night, her outburst and subsequent tears, she couldn't.  She felt more at ease than she had in years.  That in itself was enough to unsettle her._

   Carefully disentangling herself from a sleeping Jack, removing the comforting presence of his arm around her waist, Winn got up.  The room spun around her for a moment.  It had been a little over eighteen hours since she had last eaten, and after the exertions of yesterday, she was feeling weak on her feet.  She waited for the room to stop moving before she tried to move, lest she trip over her own feet.  While she stood there, she realized that the knocking at the door hadn't yet ceased.

   _Who is so persistent this early in the morning?_  The knocking was starting to get on her nerves.  Moving to where her robe had been laid over the arm of an overstuffed chair, Winn donned it over all her underclothes.  Rubbing at her eyes which were feeling dry and creaky, as eyes often do after a good cry, Winn went to the door to yell at whoever was making a pest of themselves before dawn had even been firmly established.

   To great surprise she found Marty on the threshold.  He had been pecking at the door with his bill.  "You ridiculous bird.  Not only am I not the person who normally feeds you, but I have absolutely no inclination to do so now.  Why aren't you asleep, anyway?  It's barely light out yet."  Ignoring these questions, the bird pushed his way into the room.

   He inspected every corner of the room, as if he suspected her of hiding something good to eat.  For several seconds he considered Pige, as if he were so desperate as to eat the pup.  "Trust me.  I doubt you would enjoy the experience."  Winn had shut her door and was now leaning against it, her arms folded over her chest.  Marty looked at her quizzically.  Shaking her head, she asked herself, "And why am I talking to a bird as if I expect it to care about what I'm saying?"

   _Because it's better than thinking about what you're going to do when Jack wakes up, that's why._  Winn rubbed her forehead – there were too many people behind it for her peace of mind.  "At least they're still making sense."

   Looking at the man in her bed, Winn decided that she had two options.  Escape the room and him and risk running into her grandfather or other members of her family, or she could stay here and wait for Jack to wake up.  Neither alternative seemed particularly attractive, but she'd much rather avoid unnecessary familial contact for as long as was possible.  _So I guess I'll be staying here for awhile._

   Winn looked around her room for something to occupy her time until Jack woke up.  Her gaze settled on a stack of books that were awaiting her attention.  _No, I don't want to focus that much.  I'm not sure I **can focus that much at the moment.  Next she saw her sketchbook.  While that was very tempting, that was the problem.  It was a little too tempting to pick it up and sketching page after page of Jack asleep.  _Something that lets my mind wander, that doesn't take much attention, that offers no temptation. . . ._**_

   Winn remembered her recorder.  _That could work.  Where did I leave it?  She quickly scanned the room.  There it was, sitting on the vanity, where she often set down the miscellaneous items that managed to gather in her room throughout the day - most of it belonging to her young relatives. It was lying in three pieces, so apparently she had remembered to clean and oil it recently, although she didn't really remember doing so.  _I must have done that yesterday when I was hiding.__

   She moved across the room, and quickly assembled her instrument.  Crossing to the window, she threw it open and settled herself on the windowpane.  Letting one leg hang out the window and bending the other at the knee, she watched the sun rise to the accompaniment of the music she was playing.  Marty came to stand by her, starting to preen his feathers in her company.

   Quickly losing herself in the melody of her chosen piece, she let her thoughts drift, let her head empty.  She had learned long ago how to put herself in a trance-like state to avoid thinking, and she did that now, her fingers moving over the holes in the length of wood she held to her lips.  She didn't even think of what she was playing.

   Her music woke Jack slowly, his awareness pierced by the sweetness of the notes pouring from the foot and a half long instrument.  He sat up in bed, not bothering to announce that he had awoken, and watched Winn as she sat in the window.  The morning sun cast a pure light upon her skin, the light breeze catching her hair and tugging it this way and that like a lover playing with the hair of his beloved.  He listened as hymn after hymn poured forth from the both the instrument and the woman playing it.  She switched from song to song effortlessly, sometimes at the end of one, sometimes halfway through.  Marty had finished his grooming, and was now picking at the skirt of her robe, behaving like the harmless nuisance that he was.

   Looking around in much the same way that Winn had earlier, Jack found the sketchbook.  Quietly getting up, he picked it up from the trunk on which it was resting.  He quickly flipped through it to a blank page.  Settling back down on the bed, he started to draw Winn as she sat in the window, her gaze unfocused and pointed out to sea as if she longed to be elsewhere.

   Slowly Winn stopped playing, her notes simply fading even as they were played.  She lowered the recorder from her lips, setting it in her lap.  Her head fell back against the casing, and she let out a low sigh of dissatisfaction.  At what she couldn't define.  Her Grandfather.  Her situation.  Perhaps at life in general.

   Seeing this, Jack got up and moved over towards her – not that he knew what he was planning to do.  This whole situation was as new to him as it was for her.  He simply stood at her side, waiting for some cue as to what to do.  He didn't have to wait long, for Winn leaned into him, her head coming to rest right below his heart.  

   Without opening her eyes, she said with a faint trace of humor in her voice, "'As to hanging, it is no great hardship.  For were it not for that, every cowardly fellow would turn pirate and so unfit the sea that men of courage must starve'."

   Jack smirked at this, a bit of normality emerging into a strange and difficult situation.  "I don't think things have gotten as bad as that yet, love."

   "So say you."  Winn listened to Jack's heart, listened to its beating.  Bringing her recorder to her lips, she played a few bars of yet another hymn before stopping.  "Things are looking pretty bad from where I'm sitting."

   "Hmm.  Why do you say that?"  He waited for several minutes for Winn to answer, but she remained silent, once again playing music to avoid thinking.  

   _If he hasn't heard what Grandfather had commanded, _she thought,_ then I don't want to get into it.  I don't want to get into it even if he **has** heard._

   When Jack noticed that she wasn't going to answer, he asked another question, one that seemed to be a bit more harmless.  "What do you keep playing?"

   "Hymns.  Whenever I'm depressed they just kinda come to my fingers."

   "Where'd you learn them?"  Jack found it hard to believe that this woman with such a strong pirate heritage had spent much time in church.

   "Mother taught them to me when I was young, and then when I came out here, Grandmother taught me a new appreciation for them.  She loved singing them as she gardened, and I learned how to play along with her.  Now they're just calming to play.  I guess they remind me of them both, in a bittersweet kind of way."  Resigning herself to facing the day and dealing with the troubles of yesterday, Winn opened her eyes.  Glancing at the book Jack still had in his hand, she switched the topic.  "Why is it that even though that book is mine, you're drawing in more than I am of late?"

   "Because you're not taking advantage of the glorious view afforded you in the same way that I am?"  Winn snorted.  The man certainly knew how to use his ego to his advantage.

   "Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently.  "I've drawn this bay many times.  And truly, I can't think of another view worthy of capturing at the moment."

   "Shrew," Jack muttered.

   "Pirate," Winn shot back 

   Marty, noticing that no one was giving him his due attention as a beloved household pet, squawked and grabbed hold of one of the many stands of beads in Jack's hair.  Jack yelled when the bird started tugging on it, which woke Pige who started dancing and yapping in excitement.  Winn's nieces and nephews, who were waiting outside the room for some sign of life that would mean it would be okay for them to enter, came racing in to throw themselves on the bed.  Promptly starting a pillow fight, they woke their parents with their squeals and shrieks.  The awakened parents came to the room to drag their children back to their rooms and to demand silence until at least seven o'clock.

   Winn just sat in the window watching with a kind of fascinated horror as the scene unfolded before her, her hands covering her mouth.  Jack finally pulled free of the determined and slighted bird, glaring at it and thinking evil thoughts of roast poultry.


	19. An Unusual Proposal

**Disclaimer:  Not mine.  See previous chapters for various denials of ownership.**

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**Dun-dun-dun!**

   Marty, noticing that no one was giving him his due attention as a beloved household pet, squawked and grabbed hold of one of the many stands of beads in Jack's hair.  Jack yelled when the bird started tugging on it, which woke Pige who started dancing and yapping in excitement.  Winn's nieces and nephews, who were waiting outside the room for some sign of life that would mean it would be okay for them to enter, came racing in to throw themselves on the bed.  Promptly starting a pillow fight, they woke their parents with their squeals and shrieks.  The awakened parents came to the room to drag their children back to their rooms and to demand silence until at least seven o'clock.

   Winn just sat in the window watching with a kind of fascinated horror as the scene unfolded before her, her hands covering her mouth.  Jack finally pulled free of the determined and slighted bird, glaring at it and thinking evil thoughts of roast poultry.

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Jack left Winn soon after the "flamingo incident."  It was just as well.  Any longer in his presence, and Winn might find her common sense overruled by a serious case of what she was refusing to label with any word stronger than "infatuation."

   Turning to look at her grandfather's pet, she told him, "You really must stop trying to eat the effects of Grandfather's guests.  They don't appreciate it, they'd only make you sick, and their yelling causes a general disruption amongst the household.  Having a flamingo who thinks its human is bad enough."  Marty squawked at her, disgruntled from having all those shiny objects taken away.  

   "Yes, I know.  You're hungry." Winn sighed, looking at Pige who was still bouncing around the feet of the elevated bird.  "We'd best feed you before you try eating one of the children next."  So saying, Winn changed into pants and a shirt, choosing to forgo footwear.  Barefoot she climbed down the stairs, both bird and pup making hopeful sounds behind her.

   She was going through the kitchen on her way outside (she too was hungry) when she saw one of the servants loading a tray with two bottle of Richard's rum and several sandwiches.  "Please tell me that Grandfather usually eats a better breakfast than that." She told the man.

   Replying in a think accent, he said, "Aye, Missy Winn, but dis mornin' da Capt'n was all in a huff, sayin' dat proper pirates, dey don' discuss bizness o'er coffee and toast – dey gets drunk.  Den dey discuss da serious stuff.  Den he said to have rum and some chow brought to his study."  He shrugged.  "I do what da Capt'n says.  Don' want t'get on his bad side, miss."

   Winn sighed.  The problem with having a famous pirate as a Grandfather was that is was hard to find anyone willing to stand up to him.  "Very well.  It's best that you do as you were told.  However," with this she reached for a nearby bowl of fruit, "tell him I said that he needs to eat some of these grapes, and some grapefruit wouldn't kill him." While she was still mad at him, that was no reason to let the man eat like a pirate.  _Well, he is a pirate, just an old one.  He needs to start taking better care of himself.  _

   The servant grinned.  Battles between grandfather and granddaughter over appropriate dinner fare were near legendary.  While the old man might bellow to bring the roof down, he usually gave in to his calmer protégée.  "Aye, Missy Winn.  I'll tell him dat."

   "Thank you."  Spying Marty trying to knock over a tin of cookies, Winn hustled her animal charges out the door and into the garden where Pige could frolic, and Marty couldn't eat anything harmful to his digestion.

Jack had just entered his room and shut the door when someone knocked on it.  At first he was strongly tempted to ignore it – that bloody bird had put him a seriously bad mood.  _The blasted thing tried to eat my hair!  What kind of person allows such a deranged animal wander free?  Remembering just the kind of person who did, and that he was said person's guest, Jack sighed.  __If they knock again, I'll answer, although two to one it's only the kid._

   He didn't have to wait long for the knock to repeat.  "Captain Sparrow!  Open the door.  The boys are going to go swimming without me if you don't hurry up."  Jack opened at the pleading of the childish voice.  Looking down (albeit not too far down) he found Ry and Cat's oldest daughter, Bella.  She was even more a tomboy than her youngest aunt.  If Jack had to bet based on what behavior the sprite had portrayed for far, he'd say that the next generation of Morgan pirates were assured in the girl looking up at him with an annoyed expression.

   "Well, lass?  You wanted me to open the door. I've done so, so why are you still here?"  He had spoken in his "aggravated Captain" voice – one that normally made full grown men wary, so he was mildly surprised by the impish grin that lit the girl's face.  It was very similar to the one that he usually had pasted on.  He grinned in return, not caring whether she was delivering good news or bad – the fact that she had the nerve to grin in the face of such an inhospitable greeting made her news irrelevant.  He recognized a pirate's heart when he saw one.  _Unlike her aunt who is just prickly._

   "Great-grandpapa says that you're to meet him in his study immediately."

   "And why would that be, little pirate?"

   Bella shrugged.  "I dunno.  I s'pose he wants to talk to you.  Can I go?  Aunt Grace won't stay down at the cove forever."

   "Aunt Grace?  I thought your aunt Winn kept you savages occupied."

   Shaking her head, Bella said, "Aunt Winn doesn't like to swim.  She's really not very good at it.  If she jumped off your ship to get to Papa's then she really must not have wanted to stay with you.  She doesn't like heights _or deep water."  A shout came from the bottom of the stairs.  "Gotta go."  She raced off._

   Jack smiled, then abruptly stopped as he remembered the message she had delivered.  _Sounds like Morgan has recalled that he has a guest._

"Ah, Sparrow, thank you for joining me so early in the mornin'."  Henry Morgan welcomed his guest into his study.  After further consultation with his grandsons and their incorrigible wives, Morgan had decided that if this man was to be considered a candidate for his granddaughter's hand, then further investigation into his character and past were needed.  If all turned out well, then . . . but he got ahead of himself.

   "Yes sir.  However, seein' as how I _am_ the captain of a ship, and have been for sometime, I prefer to be addressed as such."

   "What are you sayin'?"  Morgan scowled.  Sparrow was going to have to earn the right to be called 'Captain,' and if he couldn't ask for it outright, then he certainly didn't deserve it.

   "I'm saying that it's **_Captain_** Jack Sparrow, or _Captain Sparrow – whichever one you prefer Captain Morgan."  He met Morgan's eyes steadily, each man trying to get the other to back down from their chosen position.  While Jack was a bit nervous, he understood that her was being tested and refused to be found wanting.  Besides, he liked the way "captain" sounded in front of his name._

   Morgan saw this.  With a good-natured roar, he bellowed, "Captain Sparrow it is then, lad.  Come, have a seat.  I trust you've not yet breakfasted?"

   "No.  However, I was nearly breakfast for that bird of yours."  Jack took the offered seat, noticing the two bottles of rum.  This didn't do a great deal to relieve his anxiety, since drinking with a pirate didn't necessarily guarantee a man's safety.  It did help him get over the fact that a bird had tried to make its own breakfast on his hair though.

   "What bird?"  Gesturing for Jack to help himself, Morgan went ahead and picked up a sandwich.

   "That flamingo that's wandering around.  If you ask me, there should warnings posted about the blasted thing's disposition."  Jack took a bunk of grapes and started popping them in his mouth.

   "How did you know that Marty belonged to me?"

   "Your granddaughter was most forthcoming on the voyage over here.  I dislike going into unknown situations, so she was kind enough to tell me just what I may expect to find here – although she was clueless as to why you might have . . . invited . . . me here." 

   Morgan nodded, pleased to find that Sparrow was no fool.  He had heard conflicting stories from his own captains, but had come to the conclusion that any man who could have escaped with his life as many times as Jack had couldn't possibly be a fool.  Fools didn't last long on the sea.  By his reckoning, the only foolish thing that Jack had ever done was trust his crew not to mutiny.  But he had survived, and surely the experience had cured him of any inclination to be foolish in the future.

   Swallowing his bite of sandwich, Morgan said, "I invited you here because I was curious to meet the man who so successfully removed Winifred from her ship.  I believe it's been tried before, without success."

   "She probably managed to freeze whoever had tried it before," Jack muttered.  Remembering who he was talking to, he looked up with contrition on his face.  "Apologies, it's simply that –"

   "– you're absolutely right.  My granddaughter has an icy manner at times.  It serves to her advantage more often than not.  At others . . . it tends to be inconvenient."  Morgan watched as Jack inclined his head in reluctant agreement.  "But enough about women.  They tend to be more trouble than most men can afford.  What's this I've heard about the retakin' of the _Black Pearl?  I'd met Barbossa once," Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "He was much younger then, and I was not as old as I am now.  A hard customer, that one, even thirty years ago.  Not surprised he managed to get himself cursed."_

   Once again recovering his equanimity, Jack shrugged.  "I s'pose you can blame me for that.  I was the one who found the map leading to Isla de Muerta."  About to launch into the story (for he enjoyed talking of his own exploits, as all pirates do), he was interrupted by the older man.

   "A moment, Captain Sparrow.  This sounds like a tale that would be better told over rum, as is appropriate when braggin' of one's own deeds."  Morgan removed the corks from both bottles, handing one to Jack.  "Drink up.  Richard just brought these from his plantation.  A new vintage.  He wanted an opinion before he started to sell it to his customers."

   Jack took a swallow, then looked at the bottle with an expression of amazement on his face.  "Your grandson made this?"  He took another swig.  It was very good rum.

   "Aye," Morgan said with paternal pride.  "Now, continue with your story."

Meandering along the garden paths, Winn found that she actually longed for the company of the man she had left inside some time ago.  The sun was halfway to its zenith, and Winn was already starting to consider the appeal of a mid-morning nap.  Deciding that a nap was more than just simply appealing, Winn looked about for Pige and Marty.  It wasn't a good idea to leave Marty wandering about unattended in the garden.

   Seeing a whitish pink head bob up and then back down, Winn walked over to the bird.  What she found (to her profound chagrin) were an extremely pleased bird and several blueberry bushes that had been stripped of their berries.  "This is ridiculous!  You're a bloody flamingo!  You're supposed to eat krill and shrimp, not blueberries!"  Marty just looked at her, turning his head this way and that to examine her though both eyes.  "Well, I can see that it's no use scolding you.  Grandfather has obviously spoiled you rotten.  Since that is the case, I'll take you to him and let him deal with you for the next few hours."

   She walked towards the main house, the bird trailing behind and Pigeon racing ahead, muttering under her breath the entire time.  As much as she would like to avoid her grandfather for the next week, just until he got this ridiculous marriage idea out of his head, she knew that was rather impractical.  Sooner or later the old man was going to come looking for her, and he would not be pleased if he had to.  It was better to set him straight now so she could continue through the week dreading nothing but the arrival of the _Black Pearl_ and the departure of her captain.

   Entering the house in the same way she had left it, Winn inquired as to the location of her irascible grandfather.  "He still be in his study wi' Capt'n Sparra'."

   Winn nearly convinced herself that she had heard wrong.  If she hadn't, then this development could mean nothing good.  Needing confirmation, she asked in a voice that was much too calm, "He's in his study with whom?"

   "Capt'n Sparra'.  Da same capt'n as came in wi' ye, Missy Winn."

   Winn left the kitchen, forgetting to thank the helpful servant in her haste to either advert disaster or to clean up after it.

" . . . an' so ended me one an' only encounter wi' th' infamous Blackbeard."  Morgan finished his story.  By the time Jack had recounted the story of his adventure with Will and Elizabeth, both pirates had descended into a morass of drunken ebullience.  This was just one in a series of exaggerated tales that both men were willing to dole out.

   Taking a look at his three-fourths empty bottle of rum, Morgan's eye was caught by the label – one that Winn had designed.  It reminded him of his original purpose in asking Jack to his study that morning.  Clearing his throat, he gathered his brows in gravity.  "Capt'n Sparrow.  I don't know if ye've heard, but me granddaughter, Winnie, is to be married by th' end of th' week."

   Jack sat in his chair, stunned.  _Winnie getting married?  Why didn't she tell me?  Or did she?  No, I think I'd remember something like that.  "Married?   Married t'who?"  If he could find out who, then he could kill them.  __I bet it's that blond . . . ._

   "Well, you see Capt'n, that's still up in air.  She hasn't decided who yet."  Morgan sighed.  "Y'see.  I introduced her to several of m'most promisin' capt'ns, and the girl ran away.  Then, then those wimmen me grandsons married had the cheek to tell me why she did."  Standing up a bit unsteadily, Morgan leaned over his desk.  "Those wimmen tole me that she be in love wi' ye."  

   Jack was still stunned, or stunned again, he wasn't quite sure.  _Winnie? In love with me?  S'pose that makes sense.  Or maybe it doesn't.  Maybe I shouldn't have drunk so much._  Looking at his own rum bottle, he amended that thought.  _Then again, I think I need to drink more. _

Morgan, not noticing a lack of response from his guest, continued in his narrative.  "So I says to meself, 'Then I had best check this character out.  I want th' girl married, but it'd be best if she married for love.  Forget her nonsense 'bout not fallin' in love.  'Bout not lovin' a sailor.  Her grandmother did and never regretted a moment of it.'"  Morgan paused, thinking of the wife he had loved and lost too soon.  The wife he might soon be joining.

   "Capt'n Morgan?  I'm curious as to why ye're tellin' me this.  I doubt that Winnie will get married if she's so set agin' it.  She doesn't seem to be a woman to do things against her will."

   This seemed to irritate the old man.  Slamming his fist into his desk he bellowed, "What matter does her resistance to th' idea make?  I'm in charge of this family and I've decided that she will marry and that she will marry –"

   The door to the study swung open slowly, the hinges groaning against the motion of the heavy panel.  Framed in the oaken doorway was the woman under discussion.  The wood of the door had not done much to inhibit Winn from hearing the last part of Morgan's outburst.  As a result, she was icily calm, her silence indicative of her mood.  She entered the room, Marty following meekly behind as if he could read her mind.  The bird quickly went to hide behind his master, ducking his head and making quiet bird noises.

   Winn spoke calmly, her voice and face indifferent.  "Grandfather, Captain Sparrow.  I believe that it is a little early in the day to be getting so thoroughly inebriated."

   "Who says we're drunk?" Morgan asked.

   "I believe that the empty rum bottles are a testimony unto themselves, not to mention that it reeks of alcohol in here.  If I didn't know better, I'd say that I had mistakenly entered a tavern."  Winn took a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of her grandfather's desk.  "Please, both of you have a seat before you fall over.  I'm not exactly in the mood to assist you, so if you fell, you'd most likely remain on the floor until you sobered up.  Not that being sober would return your reason, apparently."

   The men sat.  "Now, please continue your discussion.  Having heard most of it from the hall, indeed it was rather hard to ignore, I wouldn't dream of interrupting."

   Clearing his throat, Morgan addressed his granddaughter.  "Now Winnie, this has nothin' to do with ye –"

   "Nothing to do with me?  Was I mistaken or were you not just about to explain your grand design for my life?  About to reveal just who would make a perfect mate for me?  Not that my opinion is important.  After all, I'm just the one that you're trying to marry off.  My happiness couldn't possibly be allowed to interfere with any of your considerations."  Each word dropped from Winn's lips like chunks of ice, her eyes having no more depth than a splinter of the frozen liquid.

   "Young lady, I'll not tolerate any of yer defiance on this matter.  As a pirate captain I am responsible for making th' life of me crew –"

   "If you haven't noticed, we are not on a ship and I am your _granddaughter, not a member of a crew who signed on to sail under you."_

   "Nonetheless, it's written in th' Code that –"

   This infuriated Winn for some reason.  "Come off it, Grandfather.  We both know that the Code was nothing but an inside joke between you and great-uncle Bartholomew.  That you started the thing as boys, and how a fit of drunken inspiration to celebrate your twin's promotion to captain you both decided to see how many other pirates you could get to take you seriously.  Don't try to tell me that you're doing this out of some sense of duty to the Code.  I may be two generations younger than you, but I will not fall for that."

   "Fine.  Then I'm doin' this because ye are too pigheaded and stubborn t'admit when ye're in love, and because it's for yer own good.  Ye need a companion in yer life whether ye know that or not."  

   Winn had turned pale, her anger suddenly disappearing.  "I don't know what you're talking about.  I am certainly not . . ." Winn swallowed hard, "not in . . . love.  If Cat or anyone else has been trying to convince you otherwise, then they're trying to make you see what isn't around to be seen."  Winn turned to leave, her determination to set her grandfather straight fizzling out under the realization that she _was_ in love, and that love changed absolutely nothing.

   "Winifred, ye'll sit back down right now!"

   With her back still turned to her grandfather, Winn said, "I'm 26, Grandfather.  I think that I should be able to run my own life by now."

   "Runnin' yer own life is what has led to this.  I gave ye too much freedom and ye came to think that's all that matters in life.  If there is one thing I have left to teach ye before I die, it's that a body needs others to depend on."  Jack was watching all this, suddenly realizing just who Morgan intended to marry Winn to.  And to his surprise, he found that he didn't mind.

   "And you would have me to depend on whom?"  Winn turned back to the men, her temper once again flaring.  "Monroe, who looks like he's still wet behind the ears?  Becket, the man who started undressing me with his eyes as soon as I acknowledged his presence in the room?  Or perhaps Stone, who from all accounts is a womanizer?  Yes, I can see why I would need to _depend_ on such men.  If you think that I will consent to marry either of those men, you'll need to beat me into submission."

   Morgan looked a bit abashed.  "I'll admit, maybe I did a bad job findin' men suited to yer temperament – but can ye blame me?  Ye live here, but ye don't _live here.  Besides, yer brothers and sisters have changed me mind.  Ye'll be marryin' another captain come Saturday."_

   Winn looked at her grandfather.  She could see what he was about to say in his eyes.  "No.  Don't do this, Grandfather.  Please."

   "Are you sayin' that ye refuse to comply with my decision?"  Winn nodded, color draining from her face when the stubborn look the old man had on his face faded not a wit.

   "Sorry, lass.  But ye're not leavin' me with much of a choice."  Pulling a pistol from his desk drawer, he pointed it at Jack.  "Nothin' against ye, but I'm afraid I'll be havin' to resend my hospitality, Capt'n Sparrow.  This community, this house was intended as a retreat for me family.  It was to remain secret so that they would be safe from those who would seek my head for crimes I had committed agin th' powers in other countries.  I swore upon the completion of this house that any who were not family who came here would either have to stay on th' island, be killed to keep th' secret, or be bound to th' family forever by whatever means necessary."  Jack watched the muzzle of the pistol, too cautious to even cast a glance at Winn.

   Winn was being torn inside.  Jack would never swear to stay on the island and forsake the _Pearl and Grandfather knew that.  He would know that death was the only way to ensure that Jack stayed on the island, and he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.  He was a pirate – it wouldn't be because he wanted to, but because he had an oath to keep.  One that Winn could fulfill if she gave up her independence.  "Grandfather, don't do this," she begged, wondering if there was possibly any way out of this situation that would leave her untouched._

   "I won't have to if ye'll simply acquiesce to my terms, girl.  It's in yer hands now."  Morgan wouldn't enjoy killing the Captain; he had proved to be a most jovial drinking partner.  But in the end it would simply be one more death added to his account.  If there was a hell then he was already damned.

   "You know that it's unlikely that I will ever forgive you for this."

   "I know more than ye might think, Winnie.  Ye'd best make up yer mind."

   There was nothing for it.  With a feeling for doom that soon numbed her senses, Winn walked to the desk and placed herself between the pistol and its intended target.  Looking into Jack's eyes for some sign that she was doing the right thing, all she found was an unreadable countenance.  _In for a penny, in for a pound.  Swallowing and clenching her hands behind her back, Winn said, "Captain Sparrow, I would be much obliged if you would consent to entering into a marriage union with me."_

   Jack let a bit of relief show on his face.  He had been unsure whether Winn was coming over to accept her grandfather's forced proposal, or to bid him farewell.  "Aye, lass.  I think it's me that would be obliged."  He reached for her hand, but she moved away.

   "Satisfied, Grandfather?  I sincerely hope you are.  Now, if you would excuse me, I'd like to be alone."  Winn left the room.

   Morgan set his pistol on the desk and looked at Jack.  "Welcome to th' family.  I think you might have your work cut out with her."

   Jack had not looked away from Winn as she had left.  Still staring at the door that was once again closed, he said in a distracted tone.  "Work?  Nay, I think that this will be a pleasure."

   "Yours or hers?"

   "With any luck, both."  He stood up.  "If you will excuse me, I think I have someone I need to talk to."

Winn had locked the door to her room.  She was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling in benumbed shock.  _He did it.  He actually did it.  Forced me into marriage.  She heard someone trying the knob to her door.  It rattled in the door, but refused to turn.  Footsteps retreated from the entrance to her room._

   She assumed that whoever it was had left, understanding that she didn't wish to be disturbed.  She was proven wrong when the footsteps came back.  "Winnie?  Will you let me in?"  Winn snorted.  If that man thought that he'd be seeing her before the ceremony, then he had another thing coming.

   "Go _away_, Jack.  I'm really not in the mood to talk to anyone right now."  As long as she was marrying the man, she might as well call him by his first name.

   "You're not going to let me in?"

   "I believe that's what 'go away' usually means."

   Jack was silent for a moment before inquiring, "Are you standin' near the door?"  Winn didn't answer.  The question was irrelevant.  Both their lives were about to change, and not for the better as far as she could see, and the man wanted to know where she was standing.  "Are you standin' near the door, Winnie?"

   "Will you stop asking stupid questions if I answer?"

   "I won't need to."

   "Then fine.  I'm not standing near the door.  Go away."  Winn expected that to be the end of the conversation, therefore she was completely surprised when Jack shot the lock off her door.

   Sitting bolt upright in surprise, she reached for a nearby vase of flowers on her nightstand.  Kneeling on the bed, she hurled it at the intruder with all her might, flowers and water spilling everywhere. 

    Her aim was good, but Jack's reflexes were faster, even when dulled by rum.  To tell the truth, he had been expecting such a response from his new fiancée.  As she searched for another suitably heavy object to throw at him, Jack calmly placed a chair in front of the door to block the entrance.  Before he could turn from this task, a rather large book sailed by his head and slammed into the door.  Cursing, he lunged across the room before she could attempt to remove his head with another book.  Landing on the bed, they started to grapple, Winn fighting with all the pent up anger that she had been unable to release before her grandfather.  

   While she fought hard, Jack was bigger and stronger than she.  He managed to subdue her, both of them ending up lying on their sides, Jack pinning Winn's arms to her middle by simply wrapping his arms around her.  "Calm down, Winnie," he panted.  "I must admit that I was hoping for a different reception."

   "You wanted a different reception?!"  _The nerve of the man!_  "What did you expect?!  You barge in here after I made it very clear that I wanted to be left alone, and what?!  You wanted me to greet you with a hug and a kiss?!"

   "While I admit that would have been nice, I merely said that I was _hopin__' for another reaction.  The one I _got_ was the one that I was expecting."_

   "If you're so smart, they why couldn't you find your own way out of that mess?"

   "Because I was hopin' you'd come to my rescue, love."

   Seeing as how Winn's back was pressed to Jack's chest, she couldn't even look him in the eye as she argued with him.  She settled for biting commentary instead.  "You're telling me, that Captain Jack Sparrow, terror of the seven seas, captain extraordinaire, and the self-proclaimed 'last _real_ pirate threat in the Caribbean,' was waiting to be saved by a woman?"  Winn laughed in disbelief.  "Please excuse me if I don't believe you."

   _Why am I not surprised?  _"Winnie, you are an exceptionally stubborn woman.  What makes you think I didn't come out of that study with exactly what I wanted?"

   "Your head intact?"

   "See, there you go again, being negative."

   "Being practical."  Winn managed to free one arm.  With her increased mobility she pinched the tendons in Jack's wrist.  When his hand opened reflexively, she rolled out of his grasp.  She didn't bother rolling far – he'd already proved that he'd do what he had to in order to talk to her.  Sitting up against the headboard, she glared at the man.  "You don't need to manhandle anyone, Captain.  I think you've made your point, and I'd rather this be as civilized as possible."

   "I'm not the one that started throwing things at people who wanted to talk to me."

   "Yes, well, _I'm_ not the one who shot the lock off of someone's door just because they _refused to talk to me."_

   Jack shrugged, unwilling to admit she had a point.  "You're going to need to learn to control that temper of your, love.  I don't fancy living the rest of my days with a termagant."

   Winn narrowed her eyes.  "Are you under the impression that this sham of an engagement actually changes anything between us, Captain?"

   "Marriage usually does."

   "You're actually going to stick around for the wedding?"

   "I didn't think I had a choice."

   Winn shook her head in growing confusion, her anger taking a backseat for the moment.  "Grandfather didn't tell you?  Ry didn't tell you?"

   Jack started at Winn in puzzlement.  She was definitely trying to avoid something.  What it was, he couldn't even begin to guess in his inebriated state.  "Tell me what, lass?"  He watched as Winn's eyes grew blank with shock.

   _He didn't know.  He didn't know and he still accepted Grandfather's terms.  He still agreed to marry me._  "A note was sent to your crew telling them where they could find you in a week's time.  The _Pearl_, she'll be arriving here the day after tomorrow.  You'll be able to leave before the ceremony.  I thought you knew."  Jack shook his head.  "I thought that's why you went along with that little scheme.  Because you knew that you'd be able to leave without having to go through with anything."

   Winn was silent for a moment, but quickly gathered both her thoughts and her composure.  Smoothing the befuddlement from her face, she went on.  "Well.  I'm glad we got that cleared up then.  Now you know that you can leave as soon as the _Pearl_ arrives, and I can start thinking up arguments to convince Grandfather to give up this crazy idea of his. . . ."  Winn trailed off as Jack reached over and took her hand.

   "It seems that I'm not the only one around here with impressions.  It's starting to sound as if you think I don't want to marry you."

   "Of course that's what I think," Winn laughed nervously.  "What would you gain by marriage to me?  Nothing that you can't get at a cheaper price elsewhere."

   "Just what is it that you think that I could find to replace you?  What is it you're so bad at that I would need to find something to replace you?"

   "Well, most importantly is the fact that . . . that . . . ."  Winn was having a hard time thinking.  Things weren't supposed to end up this way.  He was supposed to leave and she was supposed to remain here even if her heart screamed refusals at the thought.

   Jack saw that she was flustered.  Scooting up the bed to sit by her, he started talking.  "You see, love, I've lived my life based on choices, living for the opportune moment.  Basing choices between my bad side and my worse side, between right and wrong, between morality and immorality.  Between mercy and malice, between friendship and revenge, between what I wanted and what I needed.  Often I chose things for their expediency, whatever would get me what I wanted the fastest, or for their ease.  It is rare that I base choices on anything else."

   "What are you saying, Jack?"  Winn had focused her gaze on their entwined fingers.  She had noticed that the shades of their skin nearly matched, and wondered if Jack's tan was due to more than the sun.  _Will I ever have the opportunity to find out, or am I being let down?_

   "I'm saying that when it comes to you, Winifred Morgan, I've made a choice based solely on what I think I need."  He brought their entangled hands up to her chin, prodding her to look at him.  

   "Jack, would you please just spit out whatever it is that you're trying to say?  You're starting to make me nervous."  Exasperation was starting to break through that same nervousness, making Winn bold.  "What is it that you want?"

   It was the wrong question to ask Jack.  As soon as the words had left her mouth, Winn saw their effect in his eyes.  It made her think of all the times that he had asked her the same thing.  Her breath caught in her throat as Jack leaned into her personal space again, his nearness underscoring his words.  "You.  I want you.  I need you, Winnie.  I don't know why, and I can't begin to comprehend how I came to need an ornery, stubborn, hot-tempered woman anymore than I think you can.  But the truth is the same.  You're mine, Winnie.  I never would have agreed to a wedding if I hadn't decided that long ago."

   Winn started shaking her head.  "You don't mean that.  You can't mean that."

   "Why can't I, love?"

   "Because you'll be leaving –"

   "Not before I've made you mine."

   "But you'll still be leaving.  You'll return to the _Pearl_, and . . . and . . . ."

   "Winnie, look at me."  She obeyed, trying to hide the fact that she was becoming distraught.  "What makes you think that I be leavin' you ashore?  It's common knowledge that pirate marriages are only remotely valid if both parties are on the sea.  If I leave you on land I'm saying that we're not married at that particular point in time.  Besides, I intend on enjoying my new bride for some time to come."  

   Before the words had died, Jack leaned forward to kiss the woman he had inexplicably come to love, demanding silently that she respond to him in the same way he did to her.  She complied, her head tilting to maximize the kiss, her hands coming up to twine locks of his hair about her fingers.  He gladly followed her lead, his own hands burying themselves in her hair, using their grip to tilt her head this way and that.  He felt her nails graze his scalp as she tightened her hold in pleasure.

   Winn was refusing to let her brain analyze the situation.  All that mattered was that she was being kissed by a man she cared for, who promised to not leave her behind for the call of the sea.  _But what about me? He's willing to accept me, but am I? wondered her rebellious mind._

   Pulling away slightly, Winn tried to silence the voice.  Jack continued to kiss her; her eyes, her cheekbones, her jaw, her temples.  _I've lived with myself for years.  Why would that change?  She was trying to ignore the voice that told her that she may have lived with herself, but she hadn't come to accept who she was.  And if she couldn't do that, then how could she accept the person that Jack told her she was?_

   The answer was obvious.  She would have to find out who she was.  It broke her heart, but she knew that it would have to be done.  Not for Jack, whom she discovering was worth it, but for herself, so she could look at herself in the mirror and see someone worth his and everyone else's time.

   "Jack . . . ."

   "Marry me, Winnie."  Jack wasn't used to pleading, but he would if it would convince Winn of his sincerity.

   "Jack, stop.  Please."  Something in her voice reached Jack's brain – the stirrings of panic held at bay in her voice.  He pulled away, frustration eating at him.  Elizabeth hadn't been joking when she had said that he would have to work hard convince Winn of the fact he wanted her with him.

   "What is it, lass?  If you're waiting for roses and poetry and a ring, I'm afraid you're out of luck."  He tried to bring a bit of levity to the moment, grinning his normal grin even if the normal mockery was absent from it.

   Winn shook her head.  "That's not it.  I just want to make sure that this is what you want.  If you're not sure, if you change your mind, I can help you get to your ship safely.  I can talk Grandfather around –"  Jack placed his fingers over her lips as he had once before.

   "Truth may make men do stupid things, but I'm not so truthful as to mistake what I want.  I may twist the truth at times, bend it to work to my advantage, but I rarely lie outright.  Love may make men stupid, but I'm not so used to it that it would dull my wits.  If I say I want to spend my life with you, you need to take that at face value and believe that I find worth in you even if you don't.  Forget your parents, love.  I'm not your father, and you're not your mother, and we do not have their relationship."

   _How does the man manage to know exactly what I'm thinking?  It's unnatural._

   Jack saw her bewilderment and guessed where it came from.  "Love, your thoughts are written plainly on your face.  You're really not doing a good job of hiding them at the moment."

   Winn stuck out her tongue at him, and then recoiled as he tried to catch it.  He caught hold of her and hit a ticklish spot.  Winn jerked, then said, "Stop it."

   "Say you'll marry me and I'll consider it."  Jack's hands were wandering over Winn's hips and ribs, unerringly finding each of her "tickle zones," his fingers wasting no time in torturing her.

   "Yes, I'll marry you."  Winn slapped at his hands.  "Oh, please stop.  I hate being tickled.  It hurts."

   Jack stopped and looked at her, his hands still resting just above her hips.  "It hurts?"

   "Yeah.  Well, maybe not hurt, like you would normally think of it, but it reminds me of being hurt."

   "A good hurt?"

   "I guess. . . ."  Winn wasn't sure she liked where he was going with this.

   "I could show you some other things that feel like a good hurt."  Jack kissed her right beneath her ear, making her gasp in surprise.

   "I think that might have to wait."

   "Why?"  Jack was still trying to persuade Winn to stay on the bed with him.

   "Because there's someone in the door – the one that _you blew the lock off of.  Let me up."  Jack looked up to find the same blond man that had returned Winn to the house last night watching them with amusement.  Deciding it couldn't hurt to make clear where he stood when it came to Winn, Jack kissed her deeply one last time before letting her up._

   Winn was about ready to die of embarrassment.  It was one thing to be caught alone with a man in her room.  It was another entirely to be caught on a bed with a man, even if they both had been upright still.  Trying to bring some order to her hair, Winn asked, "Alex, what are you doing here already?  I thought you weren't coming by until this afternoon."

   "Obviously.  It appears that you have more of a tale to tell than I imagined."


	20. Understandings & Misunderstandings

**Disclaimer:  Not mine.  See previous chapters for various denials of ownership.**

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**How many different ways can you say "Last Time?":**

   Winn was about ready to die of embarrassment.  It was one thing to be caught alone with a man in her room.  It was another entirely to be caught on a bed with a man, even if they both had been upright still.  Trying to bring some order to her hair, Winn asked, "Alex, what are you doing here already?  I thought you weren't coming by until this afternoon."

   "Obviously.  It appears that you have more of a tale to tell than I imagined."

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Making her excuses to Jack (and feeling slightly relieved for the reason to leave) Winn dragged Alex downstairs into a rarely used parlor.  On her way there she noticed a distinct abundance of silence in the house.  _No wonder no one came upstairs when Jack fired his gun – there was no one here to hear it._  

   "I hope you don't mind me interrupting, but no one answered the door."  Alex opened the door to the parlor for Winn, behaving the gentleman even though he wasn't even close to one.

   "No, that's perfectly alright.  Things were getting a little . . . carried away."  Winn nodded her thanks and watched as her friend closed the door.

   He turned and leaned against the door, his arms crossing over his chest.  "Well, consider me jealous.  That's a very fine man you've got up there.  I don't suppose there's any chance I could steal him from you, is there?"

   Winn rolled her eyes.  "I don't think he's your type."

   Alex sighed.  "That's too bad.  He has some amazing eyes.  Who is he anyway?"

   "The man in my room?"

   Alex raised an eyebrow to make it appear as if he were scandalized.  "Do you have another one stashed somewhere?"

   Winn blushed.  "No.  Just Jack."

   "Jack?"

   "Jack Sparrow."  She watched as her friend lost the scandalized look in favor of an incredulous one, his mouth dropping open slightly.  "Don't look at me like that, it makes me nervous."

   "When did _you_ meet Jack Sparrow?  _How did you meet Jack Sparrow?  It's not as if notorious captains hang around the type of establishments that _you_ frequent."_

   "What does that mean?  You make it sound as if I'm some respectable matron who only leaves her house to go to church and to conduct missions of mercy.  True, I may not spend a whole lot of time onboard pirate ships anymore, but I'm hardly isolated from that life."

   Alex studied her.  "I think that you need to tell me what's going on."  Before Winn could tell him that it was none of his business, he continued.  "All of it, spitfire.  Everything from when and how you met Jack Sparrow to why you were wandering around the docks alone last night."

   "Alex . . . ."  Winn hated answering to anyone.  It made her feel as if she had to justify herself and her decisions.  As if they wouldn't pass muster.

   "Are we friends?" he asked.  "Weren't we the two misfits who roamed this entire island together for years?  The ones who mocked all the normal citizens?  We've always been able to tell each other anything without fear of judgment.  We know more about each other than is safe for two people who aren't related."

   Winn sighed in defeat.  "I hate it when you do that."

   "Do what?"

   "Make me feel as if we're seventeen again and that a simple talk can resolve everything."  Collapsing into a nearby armchair, Winn motioned for Alex to have a seat.  "This is going to take awhile, especially if you interrupt me as much as you usually do."

   "I don't interrupt, I ask for clarification of important points."

   "You interrupt."  Winn noticed that fruit juice and two glasses had been provided for her recitation.  Pointing at the tray she said, "I thought you let yourself in."

   "I did, but I made a detour through the kitchen on my way upstairs.  Stop avoiding the issue."

   "Fine.  A month ago Grandfather sent me to Antigua to tie up some lose ends in a business deal he had going with a merchant there.  Afterwards, I was going to go to Port Royal to attend the wedding of two of my friends.  The only problem was that on my way to Jamaica, the _Kestrel_ was intercepted by the _Black_ _Pearl . . . ." _

Jack sat in Winn's room for another ten minutes or so.  _Who is that man?  He wasn't sure that he liked the way that Winn reacted to him, or the way that he kept showing up and taking her attention.  _

   _Not that I'm jealous.  I'm the one that Winnie is marrying._  Jack smirked.  It looked like he had finally caught Winnie.  He didn't even mind that marriage had been the trap.  He may have liked being thoroughly disreputable, but Winnie only half enjoyed it.  If he had to marry her to keep her, so be it.  He had every confidence that he could make marriage just as disreputable as simply shacking up with someone.  It'd take some creativity, but not a whole lot – this was going to be a pirate marriage after all.

   Looking up from his thoughts, he found Will in the doorway inspecting what was left of the lock.  "I see you decided to forgo keys once again."

   "Don't look at me, mate.  The last two cells I broke out of were all your doing."

   Will looked up, semi-indignant.  "Were not."

   "When you broke me out of jail and that idea of yours to load the _Interceptor's cannon with silverware.  I certainly didn't come up with that.  I might have, given the time and resources . . ." Jack shrugged.  "However, the fact remains that you have a worse record with destroying locks than I do."_

   Will grinned.  "I notice you didn't say 'evading locks.'"

   "Of course not.  That's because I know how to pick a lock without destroying it."

   Surveying Winn's bedroom door skeptically, Will said, "It certainly doesn't look that way.  By the way, why was it necessary to shoot the lock off Winn's door?"

   Jack got off the bed.  Coming to stand by the younger man, he slung an arm around his shoulders.  "That, my friend, is a story best told over a good bottle of rum."

   From the scent on Jack's breath, Will would have said that he had been telling tales for some time now, but he wasn't going to mention it.  "And the door?"

   "I decided it would be more impressive than simply picking the lock."

The two friends sat in silent contemplation after Winn finished her tale.  It had taken the better part of two hours to tell since Alex had been unable to resist adding his own commentary.  Fed up, Winn had finally told him to shut up or forfeit hearing the rest of the story – that had cut back on his smart aleck comments which was more than Winn had expected would happen.

   Finally looking up from the rug, Alex said, "So, you're finally getting married.  I can see why you'd be wandering the docks instead of cuddling up with the sexy captain in your room."

   "I wasn't going to marry him last night, Alex.  Grandfather saved that surprise for today."  Winn rested her head against the back of her chair.  "And despite what you saw earlier, I'm starting to wonder if this is a good idea."

   "Why's that?  From what you've told me, your captain sounds at least as stubborn as you are, if not as visibly so.  Besides, you're already told both him and your grandfather that you'd marry him.  By now the rest of your family must know.  I sincerely doubt that you'll be able to get out of this easily."

   "I don't want to get out of it.  I want to marry Jack.  It's just that . . . it's just that I'm about to get married to a man I don't really know anything about and that's bad enough.  What's worse is, I don't even really know anything about myself.  I've avoided deep reflection on who I am, and why I do things, and what I like and what I dislike.  It just doesn't seem like a good idea to go into this marriage while I'm still a stranger to myself.  So I'm torn between going through with it and running away."  Winn looked at her friend.  Despite his occasionally foppish appearance, he was a pretty smart guy.  "What do you think I should do?"

   "I can't tell you what to do, Winn."

   "Then give me advice.  I don't ask everyone for advice – you should be honored."

   Alex sat quietly, thinking for several moments.  Winn had managed to get into quite a predicament.  "Okay, two questions.  Do you love him?"

   "Love him?"  Winn sounded lost.  Her mind was screaming warning against such a condition, the habits instilled over more than a decade refusing to roll over and die easily.  But thought of the concept brought a strange peace to the itch her soul had been suffering – as if the word was a balm that was healing a dryness inside her.

  "Yeah, love him.  If you don't, don't marry him.  If you do, then do it.  So?"

   Winn sat.  The ticking of the clock on the mantle was loud in her silence.  "What if I think I might love him but I'm not happy about it?"

   Alex laughed.  "I'm not sure I expected anything less from you, spitfire.  I think that admission is enough to be working off of.  So you marry him."

   Winn nodded, glad to have that out of the way.  It was the right thing to do, and her friend had confirmed that.  "You said you had two questions.  You've only asked one.  What's the second one?"   

   "What do you want to do about your little identity crisis?"

   Winn looked at her hands.  "Good question, but seeing as how I just defined my problem a few hours ago, and I've been talking to you for the past two, I haven't really gotten the chance to figure that out.  I know that I need to come to terms with my past, and the best way to do that is to go back to England, but how can I do that?  How can I just leave right after my wedding?  This isn't the sort of thing that should be put off, and it's not the sort of thing that can do with the help of other people.  It's something I need to do by myself – but how do you tell that to a person you've only just married?"

   "Okay, that's where you're bogging down."  Winn looked up.  "You're worrying about what someone else is going to think about something that you need to do for your own good."

   "But it doesn't only affect me – it'll affect Jack too.  Shouldn't I think about that?"

   "In most cases, yes.  But this will affect him only in terms of your absence.  It will affect _you_ in nearly every part of your life.  If this man loves you as much as you deserve, then he'll either understand and wait for you to come back to him, or he'll chase after you to bring you home."

   "Still, I think I should talk to him about it."

   Alex shrugged.  "That is entirely up to you.  You asked for my advice, there it is.  Let me know if there's anyway I can help you out with this.  I'm actually leaving Tuesday on a run to England."  

   Winn looked at him strangely.  "Won't that interfere in your 'business'?"

   "Nah.  The authorities around here are starting to get suspicious.  I'll do this run then come back and pick up the smuggling where I left off."  Alex shrugged.  "Besides, the governor of Inagua is paying me an outrageous fee to take the widow he's been keeping back to England."

   Winn laughed.  "Trust you to get caught up in something so disreputable."

   Her friend stood up in preparation to leave.  He shrugged, a broad grin on his face.  "What can I say?  Respectability is for –"

   "– rich men and dead men.  I know."  Winn also stood up and hugged her friend.  "You've been a big help."  Opening the door, one of her arms still around his waist and one of his around her shoulder, they walked out of the room.  "I'll keep your offer in mind.  Where I can I reach you if I need to send you a note or something?"

   Alex gave her the name of the inn he was staying at, then left.  Winn stood in the foyer for another minute or so before deciding that the mid-morning nap she had come back to the house for earlier was entirely overdue.  

It didn't take long for the two men to "liberate" a bottle of rum from the kitchen.  They decided to go back to Jack's room with it, Will refusing to let his quarters start smelling like the stuff.  Elizabeth would be less than pleased when she came home if her room resembled a tavern in odor.

   "That woman is no fun, William m'boy.  How she can dislike rum . . . ."  Jack shook his head.  "It just breaks my heart.  Where is the little woman, anyway?  It's rare to find you two apart these days."

   "She decided to go along with the Morgans on their expedition.  Can you imagine having fourteen children in one family?  Frankly, I think it's giving Elizabeth ideas."  Jack and Will both shuddered, one from a lifelong evasion of children, the other from the thought of becoming a father.  "Don't get me wrong, Jack.  I wouldn't mind having children with Elizabeth some day, just not now."

   "I completely understand."

   Will looked at Jack as if he had grown a horn in the middle of his forehead.  "What do you mean 'you understand'?  It's not as if you're in a position of imminent fatherhood."

   "Ah, but that's where you're wrong, lad."  Jack saw Will's eyes widen in astonishment which quickly changed to anger.

   "Please tell me you haven't gotten Winn pregnant."  Jack spewed his mouthful of rum across the room at the request.  "Tell me that's not the reason you had to shoot the lock off her door."   

   "Bloody 'ell, Will!  Watch yer tongue!  Of course I haven't gotten Winnie pregnant!  What do you take me for?"

   "A pirate, as you seem so fond of pointing out."

   "I may be pirate, but I have more sense than to go sleepin' with women who'll hold me accountable for such things."

   Will was beginning to relax.  "So you and Winn haven't . . ." he gestured vaguely.

   "No. Which is not to say that we won't.  In fact, I'd say it's merely a matter of time now."  Now that he was over his scare, Jack was enjoying paying Will back for managing to shock him.  It was enjoyable to rattle the boy's cage.  He responded so predictably.

   "Jack, you can't just go around seducing respectable ladies.  Especially ones who are friends of mine."

   Jack widened his eyes in faux innocence.  "Who said she was respectable?  Or anything about seducing her?  In fact, I can honestly say that this is all her grandfather's idea."

   "Captain Morgan wants you to bed his granddaughter?"  Will was so confused.  If Jack didn't come out and tell him what was going on, Will was likely to hurt him.  He took another sip of rum instead, grimacing as it burned his throat.

   Jack watched this with amusement.  Clearly, the boy needed the opportunity to drink more.  When he was certain that he wasn't going to make Will choke, Jack said glibly, "No, not at all.  Captain Morgan wants me to marry Winnie.  Pass the rum."

   Having slipped the important information into the conversation in such a matter of fact tone, it took Will a moment to realize what he had said.  When he did, his grip loosened on the bottle.  Luckily Jack had been somewhat prepared for this and was able to catch the bottle before it hit the floor.

   "Tell me that you're not suggesting what I think you are."  Will's mind was boggling.  The very idea that Jack was trying to tell him that he was getting married was only outdistanced in outlandishness by the thought that he was getting married to _Winn_.  He had never seen two people more determined to remain single.

   Jack took a drink of the rum, once again marveling at the quality of the stuff before answering Will.  With a self-assured smirk on his face, Jack said, "I'm not suggestin' anything of the sort, lad."  Will seemed to sag with relief.  As he took his own turn with the bottle, Jack said, "What I'm telling you is that Winnie and I are getting hitched on Saturday."  For the second time that day, rum was spewed across the room.

Winn approached her room and saw the ruin that was her door.  _There's no way I'll get any sleep if I can't close my door.  Who knows when the family will be back?  She was very disappointed.  She had really been looking forward to getting a nap.  While it was only a few minutes past noon she was still tired from the day before.  From her outburst of the night before, from Grandfather's newest announcement, Jack's not-quite-declaration of love (he had never actually said he loved her), and all the emotional turmoil those incidents involved.  Her head was starting to ache, the lump on the back of it starting to gently throb._

   She leaned against her doorframe wondering what she should do.  She'd go sleep in one of the rooms allotted her family if she had any guarantee that no one would barge in on her.  None of the rooms downstairs were comfortably equipped for nappers, not to mention the fact that they were rather accessible by anyone in the house.  She considered finding out if she could use Elizabeth's and Will's room, but the thought of sleeping in a bed shared by newlyweds made her discard that idea rather quickly.  

   _Jack.  I could ask Jack if I could sleep in his room._  She briefly wondered if that would be safe without the threat of being interrupted by small children at any time.  _Maybe that's not such a bright idea.  Still, the idea of seeing Jack was too tempting to ignore.  Maybe he would let her ask questions about him for once.  She _would_ like to get to know the man she was marrying a bit better._

   Winn was amazed at her willingness to go through with this marriage.  If her Grandfather had said anything to her about this even a month or two before, she would have run away and never come back.  A few weeks ago she would have fought tooth and nail to avoid such a fate.  But now . . . Jack had managed to change her mind somehow.  Had made her willing to trust him with the thawing, icebound remains of her heart.  It was painful at the same time that it was freeing.  _I wonder if this is what Cat was talking about when it came to recognizing love?_

   She went to his room at the end of the hallway.  About to knock on the door, Winn realized that unless Jack was talking to himself with different voices, then he had someone in his room.  She could barely hear their voices through the door, but every once and awhile she'd be able to catch a word or a phrase.  Leaning closer to the door, she recognized the other voice – Jack was talking to Will.  She was about to knock on the door, knowing that she either needed to leave or announce herself instead of eavesdropping.  But their conversation caught her up before her knuckles made contact with the door.

   ". . . love that ship."  Winn recognized Jack's voice and had to smile at his admission of love for what was essentially a hollow block of wood.  She didn't keep smiling for long though.  ". . . my own piece of freedom . . . women tie a man down . . . except for her . . . reminds me . . . ball and chain . . . getting old and rusty . . . flat . . . not the beauty she used to be . . . ."

   Winn stood outside Jack's door long enough for to hear Will reply in an affirmative and supportive tone.  _I don't think I need to hear any more.  She backed away from the door with a spinning head and a breaking heart.  __I knew there was a good reason to not love people._

   Winn escaped to the room, though even there she was only reminded of Jack's violation in her life.  She couldn't shut and lock her door any more than she could shut and lock her heart.  _If that's how he feels about me, then why is he going through with this marriage?  Is he thinking that somehow he'll get something through me should Grandfather die?  That doesn't seem likely.  And after overhearing that, I highly doubt he's doing it because he simply wants to bed me.  Was this more of his "revenge"?_

   Winn slowly collapsed on her bed, hugging a pillow to her middle.  It smelled like Jack.  For the second time in under twenty-four hours, tears escaped Winn's eyes.  She had never felt so bad.  So betrayed.  So naked.

   A part of her was trying to fight her doubts, the same part that had pointed out that she was in love with Jack.  It was a traitorous little voice.  **_And if he was talking about something or someone else?  Then you're making a rather large deal over nothing.  Why don't you go ask what he was talking about?  Then if you're right you can hurt him as much as he's hurt you._**

  Winn closed her eyes.  _It's better to be wrong and stop hurting as soon as possible than to be proven right and never stop hurting.  It's easier to give up, to call it quits.  To believe that I'm my mother's daughter.  That he is still trying to reap revenge for showing him up in Tortuga.  Besides, what else could he have been talking about?_

**_   You're a coward._**

_   Yes._

_   **So what are you going to do?  Hide in here for the rest of your life?  Become an old woman who does nothing but bemoan the fact that she's old, alone, and miserable?**_

**Winn was getting annoyed with this voice.  Here she was wanting to simply lie in her room doing nothing for eternity, and it was goading her into action.  _What would you have me do?_**

_   **What do you want to do?**_

**_Revenge . . . _whispered her mind.  _Yes, that sounds appropriate.  If that man wants to marry me, then he will.  A plan was forming in her mind, temporarily blocking out the hurt.  While it brought her no comfort, no pleasure, it was better than doing nothing.  She couldn't sit by and marry man who said he needed her but in reality found her to be no more than a weight around his neck._**

   She got up from her bed and went to her desk while she still had the energy.  After several moments of scribbling she had a note to send to Alex.  He had offered help, so she would take it.  

   She jerked on the bellpull in her room waiting for a servant to appear.  A maid presented herself momentarily.  "Give this to one of the boys to take to this address."  She pointed out the address written on the front of the small missive.

   "Yes miss."  The young woman left.  As Winn listlessly watched her descend the stairs, she head several doors slam, a rumbling sound, and the cries of excited children.  They crested the stairs like an ocean wave, coming to dance around her, each trying to explain the wonders they had seen before the rest could.  Winn simply stood and listened to them, nodding and murmuring, "That's nice."  This continued until the women came up the stairs and saw her.

   There must have been something in her face or posture that indicated a smidgen of what she was feeling.  The mothers shooed all there offspring back down the stairs saying that their aunt needed a nap.  Then, before Winn could escape, they descended on her.

   "Winn, you're as white as a sheet.  What's wrong?"  "Winn, Grandfather says that you've agreed to marry Captain Sparrow.  Why?  Give us details.  "Winn, when was the last time you ate?"

    It was all too much for Winn.  She felt tears start trailing down her cheeks at the same time that the room started to spin.  A lack of sleep when combined with a lack of nourishment and an abundance of shock did what it had failed the day before.  Winn's knees buckled underneath her.  Slowly sinking to the carpet, she listened as the voices of her friends and sisters became faint, overpowered by a buzzing in her ears.  It was suddenly too hard to keep her eyes open.  For the first time in her life, Winn Morgan fainted.

Winn awoke to find all of her sister-in-laws, plus Elizabeth, gathered around her.  "What happened?"

   Elizabeth had the nerve to snort in disbelief.  "You, my dearest friend, just preformed one of the most graceful swan dives I've seen executed on dry land."

   "I fainted?  Oh.  That's what I thought happened."

   Cat rolled her eyes.  "Enough.  Bed.  Now."  She helped Winn to stand.  "The past day has obviously been overwhelming for you.  You are not getting out of that bed until tomorrow, and _we_ are going to leave you alone."  

   The rest of the women started protesting this.  They wanted to have a gab-fest over the news of Winn's engagement.  They had questions to find answers for, opinions to give, and advice to dispense.  Cat knew this because she was feeling the same way.  "No.  If you have something to ask, go ask Grandfather – this is all his mess anyway.  Shoo."  She chased them all out of the room.

   Winn was climbing out of her clothing, preparing to go to bed.  Cat came over to her, concern on her face.  "Winn, are you sure that exhaustion is the only reason you just passed out?  I want to believe that but your eyes are telling another story all together."

   Winn shook her head, not denying anything but also not agreeing to anything.  "To tell you the truth, I'm still exhausted from yesterday.  I'm sore from being thrown around, and my mind is still recovering from the news that I have to be married by Saturday.  Also, I think the significance of what I agreed to do is finally settling in."

   "You mean from agreeing to marry Captain Sparrow."

   Winn nodded.  "It's as if all the possible consequences of that suddenly opened up before me like a washed out path."

   "Sounds like you have cold feet."  Winn looked at her sister-in-law with reproach on her face.  Reaching out to stroke Winn's hair, Cat said, "I know it doesn't feel like that right now, but it's likely that's all you're feeling.  Don't try to tell me it's regret, because I know you.  If you didn't want to get married to Sparrow, you wouldn't have agreed.  You would have talked until you were blue in the face to argue Grandfather around."  Cat kissed Winn's forehead.  "Now get to bed.  I'll come up later this afternoon with some soup or something."

   "That sounds good."

   "I know.  Now get into bed.  I want to see you rested when I come back up here."  Cat left the room, managing to pull and keep the door shut somehow.

   Winn felt herself start fighting her eyelids to keep them open.  At least part of what she had told Cat was true.  She was tired.  She was realizing the consequences of marrying Jack Sparrow.  And most importantly, and the thing that confused her the most – she still wanted to marry him, if for no other reason than she would somehow always have a hold over him as he had a hold over her.



   To give Jack some credit, he and Will had not been discussing Winn for the majority of the time that she had thought that they had.  After Will had recovered from the shock of finding out that Jack was not joking about getting married, and certainly not joking about marrying Winn, their discussion had turned into a type of drunken celebration and philosophical discussion.  The conversation that Winn had overheard and mistaken for a betrayal on Jack's part had actually gone like this:

   "What are you going t'do after getting married, Jack?  I don't see you livin' on land somewhere with a passel of children and a dog and a house. . . ."  Will trailed off at Jack's horrified look.

   "No.  No, no, no.  I'll be takin' Winnie back to the _Pearl_ with me.  By her own confession she's used to spendin' time on ships.  Why would it bother her to live on one now?  Besides, I only just got my _Pearl back . . . I love that ship."  Jack stared out his window as if he could actually see his precious boat in the cove outside the house.    _

   "Y'know Will, I used to see the _Black Pearl as my own piece of freedom.  I didn't need anythin' else to make me happy, besides the occasional woman and the occasional bottle of rum. Women tie a man down, that was what I thought."  He fell silent._

   When Jack went several moments without talking, Will prodded him.  "And what do you think now, now that you're facing an end to your bachelorhood?"

   "I think that women still tie a man down . . . except for her.  Winnie is more like an anchor, although I can't explain that statement right now, so don't ask me to.  Maybe, and this is _just only inside the realm of conceivability, but **_maybe_ I'd even give up the _Pearl_ for her, although I can't be sure of that."  Jack's statement woke something that had been sleeping in the back of head.  "That reminds me, the **__Pearl's ball and chain . . ."_

   "Her what?"

   "Her sea anchor – it's shaped like a ball with a chain on it.  Anyway, it's gettin' old and rusty . . ." he gestured as if looking for a certain word.  ". . . flat.  Surely not the beauty she used to be.  I need to replace her and wondered if you had the name of a good place to get one."

   Will looked at Jack quizzically.  "You realize that I only know the names of respectable blacksmiths, correct?"

   Jack looked at Will as if he had said something incredibly stupid.  "Lad, when are you going to learn that respectability is only determined by the amount of money it takes to bribe someone?"

Dinner that night was a rather ebullient affair.  The news of Winn and Jack's imminent nuptials had everyone making jokes and quips about how unexpected this was, and how shocking, and what did she see in him and vice versa.  Jack put up with it good naturedly, although all he really wanted to do was go upstairs and talk to Winn.  She hadn't come down for dinner, and while he had heard about her small bout of unconsciousness, he had a feeling that there was more to it than that.

   _Nay, it's not even a feeling.  More of an intuition, which is completely useless._  While Jack's "intuition" had kept him alive or out from behind bars in more than one circumstance, he hadn't the slightest idea what to do when it came to it and Winn.  What did he know about women other than the fact they were soft, smelled good, and were pleasant company (most of the time)?  Yet he was unable to shake the sense that something big was about to happen.

   He wasn't able to escape the table until half-past ten.  Cat had come and gone to feed the woman upstairs, and the rest of the women had left to put children to bed.  Well, that's not quite true; Elizabeth was still at the table with Will.  From the looks she was shooting Jack he assumed it had less to de with wanting to spend time with her husband and more with wanting to ensure that Jack didn't get him drunk again.

   The men of the Morgan family were busy dispensing advice to Jack about marriage.  It seemed to be a tradition that married Morgan men informed their brethren who were preparing to join their ranks.  While Jack found it slightly ridiculous, he wasn't about to discount anything they said.  A smart captain gathered information from reliable sources before setting out for the unknown.

   They made Will start since he had been married for the least amount of time.  Slanting a look at his wife who was still present, Will had muttered something about respecting your wife's wishes.  Jack had nodded solemnly at this bit of guidance, but his eyes had been dancing with mild mockery.  _The boy is smitten._

   Marcus' counsel was how remember to love your wife even while she was driving you mad by getting into one mess after another.  And how to cherish the fact that with such a wife, life was never boring.

   Richard simply said to listen to what your wife had to say – not just her words, but to her heart which would be shown in her face and her manner.  This carried some weight, considering that Richard's own wife was mute.  But that only meant that he had had experience with the finer points of non-verbal communication.

   Ry's big piece of advice was that you couldn't simply order a woman to do something because it never worked.  Woman thought, perhaps more than men, and if you wanted them to do something you either asked, begged, or reasoned with them – and if you were going to reason with them, you'd best make sure that you knew what you were talking about, otherwise they'd poke holes in your argument until it resembled a tattered spider-web.  "In other words, pick your fights.  Which brings us to the only piece of advice that we all agree with."  

   In concert, the Morgan men said, "There's nothing a kiss can't fix if you mean it."

   "And that means exactly what?"

   "That means that women have this otherworldly ability to tell when you're kissing them to change a topic, to divert their minds, or get them to do what you want.  However, a kiss that is delivered because you love them and for no other reason, with no other goal in mind, not even sex?  They can't resist it.  It'll solve all your problems."

   While Jack doubted the veracity of this statement, he wasn't going to say anything.  _Who knows, they might be right.  I've never been married before._

   Now that the younger men had spoke, Captain Morgan prepared to give his advice.  "Lad, I was married for forty-three years.  In that time I learned many things.  What I learned the most from my wife, Isabella, was that as much as you love a woman you can't hold on to them.  No woman likes to feel trapped, and that goes doubly so for my granddaughter.  However, even though you can't hold on to them too tightly, you also can't simply let them go about on their own.

   "I did that once.  Isa and I had had a fight, a real bad one over how she felt I was smothering her in caution.  She ended up running away because she couldn't take it anymore."  Morgan's eyes clouded with remembrance.  "I let her go and I didn't go after her, thinking that was what she wanted.  She returned three months later demanding to know why I hadn't come after her."  He smiled.  "A contrary woman, my Isa.  But no less or more contrary than any woman."

   Morgan looked at Jack.  "A woman doesn't want a keeper and she doesn't want to live with some aloof person who acts as if he couldn't care less whether or not she was around.  A woman wants a partner.  She wants to be able to depend on someone and yet be depended on.  If you go into this marriage understanding that, then you'll be going in more prepared than most husbands.  Just remember to go after her when she runs away, whether that be physically or emotionally, because not all women come back."



   Winn woke up much later that night to find her lamp lit, her "fiancé" sitting in a chair by her bed, and every single one of her nieces and nephews in her bed.  Jack was simply sitting there and watching her.  It made her feel somewhat self-conscious, as if he knew what she was planning.  Which was ridiculous.

   "How long have you been sitting there?" she asked quietly, not wanting to care but unable to stop herself from asking.

   Jack shrugged.  "An hour or two.  Couldn't sleep."  When she didn't respond to this in anyway beyond a slow blink of her eyes, Jack asked his own question.  "What's wrong, love?  I'm not sure that I believe that the indestructible Winn Morgan was felled simply by exhaustion."

   It was Winn's turn to shrug.  "I'm fine.  Just a little tired still.  Perhaps a bit in shock from everything that happened today."  She didn't see that she was lying.  Not telling the whole truth?  Perhaps.  But she was definitely in shock from the day's events.  "How is everyone taking everything?"

   Jack hung his head backwards in exasperation.  "Those sister-in-laws of yours are bloody nuisances.  All they want are details, and answer this now, and how do you feel about this and that.  If I didn't know better I'd say that you staged that faint just to avoid them."

   _It wasn't them I was trying to avoid . . . ._

  Looking back at Winn with a wicked twinkle in his eye, he said, "I would have tried the same thing, but it's not manly to faint."  Winn didn't laugh, didn't crack a smile.  Jack saw this.  Something was wrong.  Winn had been somewhat relaxed with him the past few days, but right now she was starting to resemble the woman he had met aboard the _Kestrel_ – untouchable.

   "Com'on, love.  I know something's going through that head of yours.  What is it?"

   _Oh, nothing much.  I'm just thinking about how nice it would be if you weren't liar and you actually cared about me.  If you didn't love a ship more than me.  How nice it would be if I didn't care._  Once again not-exactly-lying, she said, "Nothing much.  I'm just trying to adjust to all this.  So much has happened in the past two days that I'm having a hard time coming to terms with it all."

   Jack reached over and took her hand, playing with the fingers, feeling the texture of her skin with his fingertips, tickling the palm.  It was such a normal thing for an engaged man to do, and done so casually that Winn suspected that he was more than just a little drunk.  The way he was touching her was making her want to forgive whatever he had been saying earlier, but she knew that if she did she would possibly be devoting herself to lifetime of being taken for granted.  The plan she had come up with was a good one.  If it worked, she would know just where she stood with Jack.

   She reluctantly pulled her hand away.  "I'm tired," she whispered.  "I'd like to get some more sleep before tomorrow.  Undoubtedly my sisters will want to run thousands of details past me about the wedding.  I don't know why – they'll do what they want anyway – but I'd like to be awake for it.  It's possible that I'll be able to put a stop to any outlandish foolishness."  She looked away from Jack, focusing on the portrait on her nightstand – one she had drawn of her and Grandmother covered in dirt from the garden.  "You should go."

   Jack didn't want to go.  He wanted to stay until Winn told him what was really on her mind.  But he realized that this was just as new to her as it was to him.  Perhaps even newer.  He at least had some experience with the opposite sex – she had none outside of her family . . . and that man who was constantly coming by.  He'd give her her space as Captain Morgan had suggested.

   Leaning over, he planted a soft kiss on her lips.  "As long as you're sleeping, why don't you dream of me?"

   With sleep making her tongue loose, she replied, "I'm not sure I could avoid it."


	21. An Arrival, a Wedding, and a Departure

**Disclaimer:  Not mine.  See previous twenty some chapters for various denials of ownership.**

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**What's Going On:**

   Jack didn't want to go.  He wanted to stay until Winn told him what was really on her mind.  But he realized that this was just as new to her as it was to him.  Perhaps even newer.  He at least had some experience with the opposite sex – she had none outside of her family . . . and that man who was constantly coming by.  He'd give her her space as Captain Morgan had suggested.

   Leaning over, he planted a soft kiss on her lips.  "As long as you're sleeping, why don't you dream of me?"

   With sleep making her tongue loose, she replied, "I'm not sure I could avoid it."

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**Wednesday:**

**   Winn would have been perfectly content to lie in bed doing nothing until Saturday.  But fate seemed to conspire against her to get her out of bed.  First off, Pige started whining at five o'clock to be taken out.  Winn did, then went back to bed.  At six, one of her younger nieces or nephews wet the bed causing mass panic in the entire group.  Luckily, Winn got away unscathed, but her bed was no longer fit for sleeping until someone went and cleaned the mess up.**

   After returning everyone to their own bedrooms, Winn decided that simply staying in her room would have to do.  But at seven-thirty, an army of maids came in to take Winn's dirty clothes for cleaning, her clean clothes for ironing, her packed clothes for airing out, and her trunks to be cleaned out so they could be repacked.  This puzzled Winn until she realized that everyone expected her to leave with her new husband at the end of the week.  Suffice it to say, this did not put her in a better mindset.  There was no way she'd be able to take all her things with her, and a day of sorting through what was going to be taken and what was going to be left behind made her quake in her sea-boots.  Especially since she wasn't actually going to be leaving on the _Black Pearl._

   About the time that she was wishing for some chamomile tea (not to drink, but the aroma seemed to help relieve impending headaches), Cat appeared in the doorway demanding that Winn come downstairs to breakfast.  "You've been hiding long enough.  It's time to come get something to eat, say hello to the rest of the family, and then get to work.  We have two busy days before us.  Three if you count the day of the wedding."

   Winn groaned.  _This seems like an awful amount of trouble to go through simply to have a wedding.  It's not like we couldn't get away with planning absolutely nothing.  And if someone needs to plan, why don't they bother Grandfather with the details?  This was all his idea anyway.  While she may have not been supportive of the idea, Winn did obediently follow Cat down the stairs._

"– because if you want –"

   Winn interrupted Elizabeth before she could go on any longer about what type of flowers should go into the bridal bouquet.  She had already been discoursing on the subject for forty-five minutes.  "Remember when I swore to get back at you for making me go through the constant fuss and commotion that was your wedding?"  

   Elizabeth looked confused.  Having been focused on one thing for so long, it was taking her a moment to switch gears.  Hesitantly, she nodded, wondering where Winn was going to go with this.

   "Just wanted to make sure.  Look, I really don't care what this thing looks like.  I've never taken the time to learn what each and every flower represents singly, let alone what they represent when combined with other flowers."  Taking her friend by the shoulders, she said in a gentler voice.  "Look, I know you're only trying to help, but all you're doing is making my head spin.  I trust you to make me the perfect bouquet.  I don't think you need to run all the options past me.  You know how I feel about this, so make something that says that.  The men will be clueless anyhow."

   Elizabeth smiled.  "I was beginning to wonder if that stunned look was ever going to leave your face.  Will gets the same look on his face when he asks what's going on between two people without being prepared to hear the entire life stories of both parties, because, as we all know, that is the only way to properly spread gossip."  She gripped Winn's forearm in her left hand, her hand other holding on to some kind of flower-meaning-rulebook.  "You really want me to handle this?"

   "Yes, please.  Just don't make it too frilly.  I don't like frilly.  I may have put up with it for you, but _I refuse to deal with it.  If this is truly 'my day' then I want to be able to just _do_ this.  No fuss."_

   No sooner had the matter of flowers been settled, than Cat protested the lack of fuss.  "Winn, you only get married once, if you're lucky.  You need some fuss.  What will people think if –"

   "People can think anything they want, but it won't make a difference because _they_ will not be here.  We are _not_ inviting people to this, Cat.  It's a pirate wedding for goodness sake.  Not a spectacle for people to come and gawk at.  We'll have enough of that happening inside the family without inviting anyone else."

   "What do you mean this is going to be a pirate wedding?  Winn, you're going to be married –"

   "In a pirate ceremony.  If you haven't noticed, there isn't an abundance of ministers in Osprey Point.  I had a talk with Grandfather after breakfast.  He'll perform the limited ceremony that exists, I'll walk myself down the aisle, and then we'll all get drunk."  Winn smiled crookedly.  "Besides, the groom's a pirate.  Did you actually expect to get him to agree to a ceremony that's legally binding to the majority of the population?  All we need is one that's valid amongst pirates."

   Cat was not happy at being thwarted.  "Winifred.  You can't seriously think –"

   Winn suddenly had a dangerous edge to her posture and tone of voice.  "_Don't tell me what I can't think.  I'm already being told who I need to marry, when I need to marry, how I need to act and carry while being married, and what I'm expected to do after I'm married.  If you think for even the smallest increment of time that I am willing to go along willy-nilly with whatever I'm told, then _you're _the one that needs to think again."_

   Cat went thin-lipped in irritation at this declaration, but she didn't try to launch a rebuttal.

   Winn relaxed when she realized that she had made her point.  She hated to feel as if she were disappointing those close to her.  Her tough attitude suddenly collapsed, leaving the vulnerable, uncertain, young woman in its place.  "I just feel so out of control, despite the fact that I agreed to this.  I need to be able to exercise some power of choice over all this, Cat, otherwise I'll go mad.  Please understand that I didn't mean to hurt you.  I just need to be able to have some control over my own fate, even if it's only an illusion."

  Cat hugged the woman who had become a little sister to her.  "I understand, Freddy.  It's just that something in me is shouting that it's not a good idea to give you any out."  She laughed wryly.  "I'm not concerned about that pirate of yours trying to get out of this, but that you might."  Brushing the hair out of Winn's eyes, she said, "Promise me that you'll get properly married sooner or later.  Not by a pirate."

   "What are you talking about, Cat?  Grandfather is a captain, and captains can perform legal and . . . and, and binding . . . marriage ceremonies."

   "Not pirate captains."

   Winn rolled her eyes.  "Stop making a big deal out of semantics.  A captain is a captain.  End of discussion."

   Releasing Winn, Cat had the grace to look shamefaced.  "Well, not quite the end.  There's still the question of what you're going to wear on Saturday.  It'd be nice if you would wear something white . . . ."  She trailed off under the force of Winn's glare.

   "If you think you are going to get me into a dressmaker's for a fitting, then this latest pregnancy is giving you delusions.  There is no way I am going to stand still for hours while some assistant does their best to use me as a pincushion."

   "If you didn't move around so much, then you wouldn't get poked so often."

   "If they worked faster, I wouldn't need to move around so much."

   "If you didn't protest the placement of every stitch and ruffle, they'd be able to work faster."

      Winn was starting to enjoy this.  It was helping her to work off some of her frustration and anxiety. "If they didn't try to add so many ruffles and frills, I wouldn't protest so much."

   "Yes, well, if you would stop ruining the dresses that you do own, you wouldn't have to replace them so often."

   "If you'd stop forcing me to go to occasions that call for dresses, I wouldn't have to replace them." 

   "If we didn't force you to go to said occasions, you wouldn't own any dresses."

   "If –"

   "If you two don't stop, I am going to hurt you both."  Grace had come in to hear the last part of the debate.  "Winn, decide what you want to wear."

   Winn stuck her tongue out at Grace.  "I don't know.  I don't know what I want to wear, I don't know what I don't want to wear, I don't even know what I own anymore since Ry keeps insisting on giving me more clothing than I'll eve be able to wear.  Why don't you pick something nice for me to wear?  And please, try to pick something with a minimum on lace and a decent bodice.  It's not like I have anything to show off."

After another two hours of discussing wedding details, Winn managed to escape and let the other women plan the rest of her wedding.  She had made herself very clear on what she wanted – or at least on what she didn't want.  Winn had no interest discussing menus or seating arrangements, or childcare, or what people were going to wear or who was going to take care of what, so she had left the room in favor of sitting in the garden feeding sugared lemon slices to Marty and watching the children run around playing blind man's bluff.  

   She was watching Pige, who was running and yapping amongst the children, thinking about how big the pup had gotten in the past month, when she felt someone come sit next to her.  Since the women were still busy, it made sense that the men had returned from their expedition into town.  It was easy to see what had inspired it, but the purpose was unknown.  Something about wedding business, although Winn couldn't think of what this mission could entail that would cause every man in the house to leave.

   "Is that bird blue?"

   Winn looked over at Jack, and then surveyed Marty.  His plumage was indeed showing a faint bluish tint.  Shrugging, she said, "Yeah.  He got into some blueberries yesterday morning when I wasn't watching him.  I was wondering if that was going to happen.  Normally Grandfather keeps a closer eye on what he eats so things like this don't happen.  He says that it's bad enough that Marty won't eat shrimp and therefore be a proper shade of pink, so therefore he need not binge on other foods that might change the color of his feathers."

   "That's why you're feeding him lemon wedges, right?  To help return him to his natural color."  If Winn was feeling as feisty as she appeared at the moment, he might be in luck.

   Oblivious to Jack's machinations (a dangerous thing to be), Winn stared down at the yellow slices of fruit.  "Green is a more natural color than blue.  Besides, the damage is done.  As it is, the thing resembles an overgrown macaw."  Marty let out a squawk, demanding to feed more of the sweetened citrus fruit.

   Jack stole a piece as Winn handed some more fruit over, but not without the bird seeing him do it.  He promptly abandoned Winn for Jack, twisting and bending his long neck in pursuit of the treat.  Winn looked faintly amused as Jack tried to evade his attempts.  "Will you show this blasted bird another piece of fruit so it'll leave me alone?"

   "I could, but it wouldn't do much good.  He knows that these are for him, and he's upset that you tried to steal a piece.  Just give it to him.  I'll give you a piece."  Jack resentfully handed over the fruit.  While Marty was busy eating it, Winn handed another piece over to Jack, making sure that Marty saw the gesture.

   "Now that he's seen me give it to you, he won't try to steal it.  That's why he tried to.  He knows that I won't let him simply take slices out of the bowl, so he gets upset when people do."

   "That's crazy."

   "Nonetheless, it's true."  Winn turned back to watching the frolicking children.  Talking to Jack confused her.  He seemed as if he truly enjoyed her company, as if he wanted to spend time with her, and as if he wanted to marry her.  But Winn knew what she had overheard the previous day; the words still echoed in her mind at odd times.  Her knowledge and her experience battled against each other in a fight that neither was going to win.  _I need to get away.  Once I'm away I can think objectively with a clear head, decide what to do.  Decide how to feel._

   Jack watched her as she thought.  Whatever was on her mind clearly brought her no joy.  _Knowing Winnie, she's analyzing herself into a box.  Can't have that happening._  "The _Black Pearl_ should be here in another hour or so." 

   Winn started.  She had forgotten she had company.  Then the impact of his words hit her.  _Why is he telling me this?  Is this his way of saying good-bye?  Is that why he's here?  Despite her confusion, Winn realized that she didn't want him to leave, even if that meant she could avoid getting married.  She had resigned herself to the situation on some level, and again on some level, she was looking forward to it._

   She supposed the best way to find anything out was to ask, not that she wanted it to look as if she cared.  "So, are you going to be sticking around, or do I need to start thinking up excuses as to why the groom has absconded with himself before the wedding?"  While she tried to sound nonchalant, a bit of her anxiety found its way into her voice. 

   Jack heard it and was slightly comforted.  If Winn was nervous about him leaving, then she probably wasn't inventing imaginative ways of running off herself.  "Having second thoughts, are we?"

   Shaking her head, Winn said, "_We've_ moved past that to forth and fifth thoughts by now, and will most likely be up to fiftieth thoughts by Saturday." 

   "That's encouraging."  When Winn did no more than shrug her slim shoulders once again, Jack continued, "I thought I'd go over and explain to the crew what is going on, make sure that everything is shipshape.  But I was also planning on coming back.  You're free to come over with me, love, to decide just how much room there is for you to bring your belongings over."  

   Jack really wanted Winn to come with him.  Part of it was he was simply proud of his ship and wanted her to be proud of it too, like a child who had found a bird's nest and wanted their parents to admire it.  The other part of it was he was hoping to get some time alone with her, try to get her to stop being so distant.

   Winn considered the proposal.  She decided that it was probably wise to accept, for appearances sake.  Her family would surely expect her to do such a thing.  Silently, she nodded her acceptance of the outing.

   The two adults sat on the garden steps for another hour or so, Winn talking to whatever children came up to her, Jack watching Winn, Marty watching Jack.  At one point, growing tired of Winn's silence, Jack asked for an explanation of who each child was and who they belonged to.

   "Let's see.  Marcus' children you know."  Pointing out children as she spoke, Winn rattled of the list.  "Bella, Avery, Laura, Daniel, James, and Garrett all belong to Ry and Cat.  Avery and Laura are twins.  Bella is ten, and Garrett is three, and everyone else is between those ages.  Richard and Sarah's children are Michael, Naomi, Phen, Pip, and Anna.  Phen and Pip are actually Stephen and Pierce, but they're still young enough to appreciate nicknames.  Pierce and Anna are twins."  Winn shrugged.  "Basically, if you want someone's attention but aren't sure who, all you need to do is call out 'hey you.'  Most of them will reply to that, and then you can point out who you want to talk to."

   "Do big families run in your family?"  Now that he had Winn talking, Jack wasn't about to let her stop.

   Winn shrugged.  "I'm not sure.  Grandmother had a large enough family, and Grandfather isn't sure how many siblings he had.  This generation has certainly been productive though."

   "What about you, Winnie?  Do you want a big family?"  She looked at him as if she were trying to figure out what his angle was.

   Turning her face away from him with an unreadable expression, she said tonelessly, "It wouldn't matter if I did.  It seems unlikely that any family of mine would be as big as my brothers' families."

   "Why's that?  Surely you're not casting any doubts on my manly abilities."  Jack leered at Winn, hoping for a smile, or an irritated glance, anything.  

   What he got was a no-nonsense answer.  "I told you how Grandfather sent me to sea to prove myself a capable navigator and such, and how this was also supposed to be a fundraising effort.  The last ship we attacked before coming back here put up a respectable fight.  I was wounded; a bullet tore right through my abdomen.  The doctors almost unilaterally agreed that it was unlikely that I would ever be able to carry a child to term."  Winn stood up.  Brushing dirt off her hands, she said, "If you'll come and get me when the _Pearl_ comes into harbor, I'll accompany you back."  With that said, she went back into the house, Marty following hopefully behind.

**Saturday:**

   The morning of Winn's wedding dawned in much the same manner that Elizabeth's had.  A light morning rain was falling, but one of the servants who was known to be reliable in such matters had assured everyone that it would stop before noon.

   Winn stood before her windows, looking out at the cove.  The _Black Pearl_ was anchored offshore, her future husband being on it somewhere, doing something.  While the temptation to ponder his activities called to Winn, she was stubbornly refusing to think about anything other than how quickly the last few days had passed.

   _Too quickly.  I'm getting married this afternoon, then leaving my husband tonight._  Winn briefly wondered if she was doing the right thing by leaving, but her mind assured her that she was.  It told her that her heart had already been severely hurt by this man, and she wasn't even married yet.  She needed to fly from this place before her foolish heart could convince her to let down all her defenses.  Before she became dependent on a man who she was unsure of.

   Her resolved steadied to the grief of her inner voice.  **_If you're just going to run, why are you bothering to get married?_**

_   Because then I'll own a piece of him, just as he owns a piece of me._  Resting her head against the cool glass, she absently thought, _He may not know that he owns it, but he does._

**_   And just what is it that he owns?_**

**_My most vulnerable part and my most needed part.  My heart and my commonsense.  I have to get away, have to be able to think.  Have to see if he'll come after me.  Have to see if I'm worth it, or simply an inconvenience._**

   A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.  Her door was once again whole, the lock in working order.  She hadn't bothered locking lately though – Jack had spent the last two nights on his ship.  "Come in," she called without turning around.

   She heard the door open, heard the thump of a cane against hardwood.  "I hope you're pleased, Grandfather.  Today you'll see your last grandchild safely wed, to a man named Sparrow, no less.  Will you now turn your attention to finding a match for Bella, or will you wait a few years?"

   "Winifred, if I truly thought that this man would make you miserable, if I thought he would mistreat you, if I thought he would take you for granted, then I would not have given this marriage my blessing – bird last name or no."  Coming up beside his only granddaughter, Morgan asked, "What is it that has you so downcast on your wedding day?"

   "The passing of one life for another.  After today I'll no longer be myself.  I'll be part of another, and another will be part of me.  I won't be able to do what I want when I want.  I won't be free to make choices alone anymore."  _At least, not without consequences._

   "Can you honestly say that you won't welcome a change in your life, Winnie?  I've seen you, these last few years.  I've seen your smiles, and heard your laughter, but I've also seen you staring out at the ocean when you thought no one was watching.   What were you thinking when you say the sun setting into the ocean, when you saw the stars rise above its rim?"

   "I was wondering what was beyond the horizon."

   "You're marrying a man who can show you, who can take you there."

   "But is it worth what I'm losing?"

   "If you're losing anything, then I'll put a stop to this wedding right now.  I'll tell Captain Sparrow to leave and never seek you out again.  But I think that if you really look at your situation, you'll see that you're not losing anything – you're exchanging it."

   "But what if I'm content with my life?"

   "Then you deserve more.  You don't deserve to be simply content.  You deserve to be happy."

   Winn looked away from the window, and up into her grandfather's face.  "Will he make me happy?"

   "That's not for me to tell you.  Do you think he will make you happy?"

   There was silence in the room for several minutes.  Finally Winn sighed and turned he back to the window.  "I think . . . I think that he has a better chance of making me happy than anyone else I know."

   "Is that enough to marry him?  To stay with him?"

   Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Winn murmured, "I guess that's what I need to find out."  She looked pale and fragile, but utterly determined, and even a little calm.  

   "You know that you will always be welcome here.  This will always be your home."

   Winn looked back at her grandfather.  "If all goes well, I won't need this to be my home."

Jack stood in the house's main parlor.  Winn's family was already gathered, along with selected member of his crew.  Needless to say, they had been shocked to hear that their itinerant captain was staying in one place long enough to get married.  And that he had decided to tie himself to a single woman.  Surely, they whispered, the ports and towns that made up their usual stops would be full of women wailing and bemoaning this unexpected quirk of fate.  

   Only Ana Maria had seemed unsurprised, muttering something that had sounded like, "I told you, you would regret pushing her."  It was under her disapproving gaze that Jack once again fidgeted with the collar of his shirt.  It wasn't that he was nervous, but that he wasn't used to having things so close to his neck.  The last thing to get so close in proximity was a Port Royal noose.  _Although I suppose one could say that I've only exchanged nooses.  I say that this one is a lot more appealing.  Jack caught Will's eye and saw that Will was thinking the same thing._

   Leaning over, he said, "You'd better not do anything to keep this knot from doing its job, lad."

   Will rolled his eyes.  "You'd better not let Winn hear you talking like that – she's rather sensitive when it comes to such statements.  Something tells me that she would find it appealing to be compared to a knot in a noose."  Both men froze under the glares being thrown at them from Ana Maria, Cat, and Elizabeth who was standing just across from them.  She was playing the matron of honor in counterpart to Will's best man.

   Before Jack could whisper some outrageous statement to Elizabeth for the sole purpose of annoying her, Captain Morgan entered the room.  He took his spot in the tableau, his presence signifying that the wedding was ready to proceed.

   At a nod of his head, every one stood and turned to the open double doors to the room.  It was there that Winn appeared, walking down the stairs, a simple and unconventional bouquet of white bougainvillea and scarlet bleedinghearts clutched in her hand.  She was wearing simple dress made of dove grey silk that was light on lace but complex with silver embroideries. While her back was straight and her head held up proudly, her steps were just a little hesitant, and one could tell her hands were trembling from the rapid vibrations of the bleedingheart spays.

   Jack saw her and for an instant he wondered what in all the seas he was doing here.  Why he wasn't safely away on the _Pearl_ with the wind in his hair and the spray of the sea on his face.  But the memory of Winn twining her fingers through his hair, of her sleeping breath brushing over his face steadied him.

   Winn watched through eyes bright with anxiety and anticipation as Jack's emotions ran in a nearly undetectable stream of motion across his eyes.  The fact that he seemed just as uncertain as she brought steadiness to her hands and purpose to her step.  The fact that he too seemed to be unsure of himself strengthened her in some perverse fashion, as if his uncertainty ensured some kind of hope of a life together.  _A life of blundering and wandering about blindly.  But that look makes me think that just maybe I can make him love me – that I can mean more to him than a ship._  Winn realized that was all she wanted, to simply find she had more worth in his eyes than a hunk of wood.  _And that maybe I can lay the memory of my mother to rest and admit that I love him._

The ceremony in itself was short and simple.  Both parties swore to watch out for the other's life, to never abandon the other in a time of need, and to remain faithful.  It took but twenty minutes to exchange vows, to the profound relief of both Winn and Jack who had memories of Will and Elizabeth's recent nuptials.

   Once the ceremony was over, the entire family retired to the dining room for the celebration.  For hours on end, Winn's friends and family told stories of Winn and all her most embarrassing childhood moments.  Will and Elizabeth told the tale of their adventure with Jack, much to the consternation of Jack who didn't remember anything happening in they way they described.  After that, his crew took turns telling tales of the mischief he had been up too since regaining the _Pearl, and a few even told of his exploits while waiting for revenge._

   There were tales told of other weddings throughout the night; of how Henry Morgan managed to find himself a bride on a merchant vessel he was raiding, of how Ryan had met Cat in a Nassau marketplace, of Richard and Sarah's lifetime of love, and how Marcus found Grace in a boat that had been set adrift.

   For the most part, Jack and Winn listened to the stories, laughing in the appropriate places, making smart comments in others.  Or, it might be said that Winn laughed and talked.  Jack spent most of his time observing his new bride.  Her cheerful disposition seemed forced to him.  No else had said anything, but they were used to allowing Winn to hide her feelings from them.  Jack was the one that had refused to let her hide.

   _She's definitely nervous about something._  The thought made him smile, but luckily it was at a time when everyone else was laughing at some joke that Richard had told, so it wasn't remarked upon.  _If Winnie were any other woman, I'd say she's worried about the weddin' night.  However, the girl never worries about normal things._  Jack had a feeling that Winn had something up her sleeve.  He couldn't say why he was so certain of this, but he was.  _I'll find out sooner or later.  That's a certainty.  I'll just have to make an effort to make it sooner rather than later, because later is often too late._

Jack found out just how right he was just an hour or so later.  The family had bid them to go to bed, saying that if they weren't going to excuse themselves, then they would make the excuses for them.  Standing and taking Winn's hand in his, Jack led the way out of the room, Winnie and one or two ribald comments following him.

   Winn felt her heart grow heavier with every step up the stairs.  She would be leaving within the hour, while her family and Jack's crew were still busy drinking what was left of the rum and eating what was left of the food.  While she had been preoccupied at the meal, she had noticed that Jack had spoke little, drunk less, and studied her more than she thought was necessary for a new husband.  She could only assume why that was, and pray that she would be able to do what she needed to.

   Jack opened the door to her room and stepped inside, drawing her after him.  Letting go of her hand, giving her the option of moving away should she wish to, he shut the door behind them, making doubly sure to lock it.  Winn stood by him for all this, knowing that time was short now.  She would have preferred to leave earlier, but had been too shy to take her husband upstairs.

   But she discarded that shyness now.  As Jack turned back to her from the door, she stepped close enough to him that her skirts brushed his legs.  Quickly, she brought her face up to his to kiss him.  Jack responded eagerly, surprise evident in the way he was holding himself.  Just as he was starting to kiss her back, Winn broke away from him, resting her head against his chest.  "Please, just hold me."

   Jack was a little surprised by the request, but wrapped his arms around her anyway.  He had been expecting her to hold herself distant as she had been for the past few days.  Rubbing a hand up and down her back, he asked, "What's wrong, Winnie?  I'm guessin' that it wasn't thoughts of tonight that were keepin' you preoccupied downstairs."

   Winn shook her head.  _Why does he have to be so nice?  I didn't think it was possible, but it's making me hurt more than that conversation did.  How can kindness hurt more than cruelty?  To her great surprise, Winn felt a tear slide out of her left eye, quickly followed by one from her right.  Her nose felt blocked, so she sniffed.  She could feel Jack's gaze on the top of her head.  To relocate his focus, she said, "I'm fine.  Just tired.  Really tired."  _Tired of hiding, of telling half-truths, and of not knowing what I'm doing.__

   Jack sighed.  The quiver in Winn's voice told him all he needed to know.  All they would be doing in bed together that night was sleeping.  And perhaps some talking.  But nothing that required anymore energy than that.  Yet with Winn in his arms, he found that the idea wasn't nearly as distasteful as he thought it would be.

   He looked around the room, trying to decide how to phrase what he wanted to say.  He eyes landed on a bottle of wine and two porcelain goblets.  _As long as neither of us drinks too much, that should work.  Pulling away from Winn far enough to make eye contact with her, he said.  "Let's go sit down.  I could use a drink before going to sleep, and I'm sure you'd love to get those shoes off."  When she turned a surprised face up to him, he continued, "Don't look at me like that.  I've surely noticed how you prefer go barefoot or wear sea-boots.  You must really have hated wearing those slippers all day."_

   She searched his face, as if trying to tell whether he was being sincere or not.  Apparently she decided that he was, because she started to make a protest even though he was offering her exactly what she wanted.  "Jack . . . ."

   "Shh."  He laid a finger over her lips.  It never failed to amaze him how soft they felt, how pliant for such an unpliant woman.  "There's no rule saying we have to do anything other than sleep tonight.  I don't know about you, but I find there's nothing worse than fornicating with a strange wife."  This statement got the kind of reaction he was hoping for.  First Winn blushed a bright red, then she smacked him hard enough to make his arm sting but with a gentle smile on her face.

Things were going perfectly for Winn, and that was making her miserable.  She wouldn't have minded what she was about to do if he would simply behave like a _pirate_, but he was insisting on behaving like a decent man.  One who wasn't going to pressure her into anything she wasn't ready for.  Her mind said it was because he found her too unattractive to bed.  Her inner voice screamed that it was because he loved her, was she too stupid to see that?  And her heart told her that she had things that needed to be resolved before she could be the type of wife his behavior deserved.

   So she docilely went to the table, and removed her slippers as she watched him remove various belts and weapons.  She watched as he opened the bottle of wine on the table and poured them both a drink.  And she said nothing as he drank from the goblet that she had earlier lined with laudanum.

   Knowing that it would take a few minutes for the diluted narcotic to take effect, she stood up and held out a hand to her husband.  "Come hold me?"  She felt his hand envelop hers, felt him walk behind her to he bed.  Felt him lay down behind her and felt his arms encircle her.  Turning in his grasp, she silently watched him as the laudanum took over his mind and body, urging him to sleep.  She watched as the realization of his sudden tiredness lit up his eyes.

   "Why you little hellcat."  While his words sounded condemning, Winn saw nothing but delayed expectation in his eyes.

   Quietly, so very quietly, she whispered, "I'm sorry Jack, but there's something that I need to do.  Things I need to find out.  Alone.  If you're still willing to have me in the morning, I'm leaving a note on the table.  I know this wasn't the best way to do this, but it was the only way I could think of.  I'm sorry."  Before Jack could say anything, she leaned forward and kissed him, knowing that this was likely the last time she would be able to do so for many months.  _Possibly the last time . . . .  She felt him kiss her back as he fell under the influence of the drug._

Thirty minutes later, Winn was climbing out the window of her room, a sedated Pige in a bag on her back.  She had already sent a trunk of clothing and other belongings to Alex.  They would stay in his rooms, as would she, until their departure on Tuesday.

   She dropped to the grass silently, her boots making no noise in the damp earth.  Quickly circumnavigating the house, she made it to the front gates.  She avoided the gatekeeper by using the smaller gate that she had discovered as a teen.  It was hidden behind some large ornamental bushes.  

   Squeezing past the branches of the bush, she barely held back the urge to go back to the house, to lay by Jack's side until he awoke.  Surely she could explain things to Jack, talk him into letting her go to England.  But then she might never know whether or not he thought she was worth chasing.  _This is the way it has to be.  It may be a bad plan, but it's the only one I have.  And I only have one heart, the one I gave to him without knowing.  I have to know whether it will be safe with him, or not.  Otherwise I'll never be comfortable again._

   She looked up to see Alex at their agreed meeting place.  She quickly dug her old blond wig out of the bag on her back.  It was the same one she had worn to conceal her real identity all those years before when she had captained a pirate vessel.

   Settling it on her head, making sure that none of her dark hair was showing, she came up to him.  He offered her an arm from his position on his horse.  When she took it, he swung her up on the horse.  "Nice wig."

   "Don't sass me, Alex.  I just disregarded my marriage vows, drugged my husband, and ran away from my family.  I'm not in the best of moods."

   "So you're telling me –"

   "That Captain Winn Morgan rides again."  The declaration brought her no joy.  Looking back at the house as Alex guided the horse towards Osprey Point, she found her own lighted window, and hoped that she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.


	22. Pursuit

**Disclaimer:  Not mine.  See previous chapters for various denials of ownership.**

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**Last time in the continuing saga:**

   "Don't sass me, Alex.  I just disregarded my marriage vows, drugged my husband, and ran away from my family.  I'm not in the best of moods."

   "So you're telling me –"

   "That Captain Winn Morgan rides again."  The declaration brought her no joy.  Looking back at the house as Alex guided the horse towards Osprey Point, she found her own lighted window, and hoped that she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.

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Winn's little gambit had been even more successful than she could have hoped.  No one discovered her departure until late the following morning.

   Cat had instructed one of the servants (whose name was Betty) to leave a breakfast tray outside the newlyweds' door in the hopes that at some point they would open it, find the food, and be able to eat without coming downstairs.  Around eleven that morning, Betty found Cat in the parlor and informed her that the tray had been left untouched.  

   Ry, who was with is wife at the time, found this information to be useful.  Deciding that he was being remiss in his duties as eldest brother, he bounded up the stairs to the accompaniment of his wife's protests that he should leave Winn and Jack alone.

   Reaching Winn's door, he started pounding on it as loudly as he could all the while yelling, "I understand the attraction of staying in bed all day, really I do.  But if you two don't eat something, it's unlikely that you'll be able to continue your current . . . activities."  This sally was met by a flurry of masculine curses.

   Ry waited patiently as he heard stumbling footsteps approach the door.  He was expecting to be greeted by a foul-tempered pirate, but not by one who was fully dressed – in the same clothing he had been wearing the night before.  He was further surprised when Jack asked him, "I don't suppose you've seen that treacherous little minx I married yesterday?"

Jack awoke the next morning with more of a headache that he normally would have blamed on an overabundance of alcohol.  The only thing wrong with that excuse was the fact that he hadn't drunk that much the night before, wanting to have all his wits about him when it came to dealing with his new wife.  _Lot of good that did me.  _Ry's pounding and yelling at the door was echoing inside his head unpleasantly.  

   Cursing, Jack got out of bed.  He noticed the funny taste in his mouth as he walked to the door.  "I suppose this proves that she really is the daughter of a pirate line."

   Walking somewhat unsteadily, his feet feeling like lead weights, Jack opened the door and found himself face to face with his new brother-in-law.  In the mood he was in, there was only one thing to ask.  "I don't suppose you've seen that treacherous little minx I married yesterday?"  _Because if you have, I'm going to tan her hide._

After several days of fruitless searching, Jack ordered his crew to ready the _Pearl for departure.  If Winn was determined to not be found, then he would gladly oblige her.  _And if you believe that, then I also have some uncursed Aztec gold to sell you.__

   Jack stood on the beach attached to Swallows Rest.  He had to admit to being angry with Winn, but at the same time, all he wanted to do was find her and prove that she was being foolish.  She belonged with him.  She belonged _to him.  __But what does she do?  The silly chit runs, and makes sure that I can't run after her.  If that's the way she wants things, then she can bloody well –_

   "You're not thinking about doing something stupid, are you, Jack?"  Jack turned to find the Turners descending the path from the house.  They had made him promise not to leave before they could come say good-bye.

   "I have no idea what you're talking about, lad.  All I'm doing is setting about my business.  It's been too long since the crew brought in a haul.  If I don't find us a nice fat pigeon soon, I'll have deserters, and that's just a messy business."

   Will looked at this pirate that he called a friend.  "Aye, that's why you're looking so grave.  The expectation of a good fight has got you wondering if you'll come out the winner."

   "I resent that.  I'm thinking of finding a nice fat French merchant ship.  They're not much of a fight.  Besides, what makes you think I would turn down a real fight right now?"

   "We both know that's not the fight I was speaking of, Jack.  You're thinking about not going after your wife.  Right now, that's the only battle worth waging.  Go find her."

   Jack turned his back on his friends.  "My _lovely wife_ has made her position clear.  She wants nothin' to do with me.  And if that's her attitude, I'm not so sure I want her back, savvy?"

   "Jack, you can't just give up on her."  Elizabeth knew that if she could talk some sense into this man, then everything would be all right between him and her friend.  "She loves you."

   "Maybe that's enough for you to go on, missy, but apparently the same can't be said for your friend."  Jack watched as the longboat came back to collect him.  "Now, if you two would excuse me, I have a life to conduct."

   Before he could take two steps away from the couple behind him, he felt himself being whirled around.  "Jack Sparrow, you're being a coward," spat Elizabeth.

   Looking down at the woman before him, Jack felt his temper strain at his controls.  Few men had ever gotten away with calling him a coward to his face.  "I'm not the one who ran."

   "And you're also not the one running now."  Elizabeth started pleading with this man to listen.  "You don't understand.  If Winn had stayed here with you, I would have been more worried than I am now.  She's been running from love for years.  She's not going to stop in a matter of days.  If she had stayed it would have meant that she _didn't_ love you.  But she did run, and if I know her, she's hating herself for it this very moment.  But being as foolishly stubborn as she is, she's refusing to come back even though she knows she's made a tremendous mistake.  She's thinking it's better to simply believe that you now hate her than it is to come back and find out she's right.  And she will continue to think this until you find her.

   "Right now she's a bundle of raw nerves and half-formed ideals.  Her emotions are in a riot and she's running away so that she can pack them back into the little box that's she's been storing them in for years.  You opened the box but you haven't destroyed it yet.  Until it is, she's going to keep running."  Elizabeth got up in Jack's face to make the crowning point.  "If you enjoy impossible challenges as much as you say you do, you'd go after her and truly make her yours."

   "She's got a point, Jack."  Will decided it was time to enter the fray before Elizabeth went too far.  The girl had courage, but not much caution at times.  "Besides, you love her.  Love can be ignored, denied, or hidden, but it can't be made to disappear.  You know you'll end up going after her eventually.  Her final conquest should be easier if you go after her now."

   Jack hated to admit it, but these two were making a certain amount of sense.  Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it now.  He was still too angry to go after Winn now.  If he did, he would end up doing something stupid.  It was better to go after that French merchant vessel as he had been planning, _then_ continue his search for Winn.  After all, he wouldn't get far if half his crew deserted him due to a lack of funds.

   "Thank you for the advice, however, I must tell you that it hasn't done much to change my mind."  The longboat had reached the beach – it was time for him to go.

A week out from port, the _Black Pearl had caught its French merchant, and was now sailing more or less aimlessly, on the prowl for more prey.  Jack had spent more time alone in his cabin than he had since regaining the _Pearl_.  Well, he was alone except for a bottle of rum, one that stayed remarkably full.  He wasn't in the mood to drink.  Things were too serious for that._

   His crew wondered what he did in there day after day.  They would have been disappointed to know that he did nothing but sit in a chair and stare at an unopened envelope that lay on the table before him.  It was the letter that Winn had left, the one full of excuses for her departure.  Jack wondered what was in it, what she had said, but her deflection had revived a sense of betrayal in him.  A feeling that he had thought had died with Barbossa.  Apparently he had been wrong.

   _So this is what the great Captain Jack Sparrow has been brought to – mooning over a girl, a **girl, alone and without solace in his cabin.  And why without solace?  Because he's too depressed to drink.  Bloody women are nothing but an inconvenience to honest pirates.**_  He glared at the letter as if Winn would know he was doing so.

   Several times he had been tempted to throw it away, or burn it, but for some reason, he hadn't been able to bring himself to do so.  One corner was a bit scorched because he had left it too near a candle flame as he stood in unmoving indecision, but it wasn't enough to keep it from bring legible.

   _So I sit here, afraid to open a letter.  Afraid to hear that she's gone and run off with a lover, or has decided to become a nun, or something equally preposterous._  One again, Jack picked up the envelope and held it, trying to decide whether or not to read it.  He had just made up his mind to put it off, when the seal broke open.  The envelope had been handled so often in the last two weeks that the seal had been weakened.

   Jack sat staring at it for another moment or two, his eyes focused internally.  _If I really don't love Winnie, why do I still have this?  If I really don't care where she is or what she's doing, then why do I want to read it?_

   Tired of the debate that had been carried on in his head for weeks, Jack left his cabin.  The sun had set, and twilight was fading, bringing the first stars of night out in understated brilliance.  Going to the prow of his ship, he seated himself as he stargazed.  Stars were a skilled sailor's friend.  They gave direction, guidance, even comfort and company.  He searched the skies now as if they held an answer for his dilemma.  But they were silent.

   _Stars are constant.  The North Star never moves, the rest rise and set in their plotted courses._

_   And love? _asked a part of himself.  _What of that?  If it isn't constant, what good is it?  Does it matter if it falls as long as it rises again?  If I loved her enough to commit myself to her when she was by my side, how can I do anything other than love her when she isn't without declaring my love null and void?_

   He had come out here to escape, but escape wasn't what he was finding.  He was finding the part of himself that he shoved behind the imperturbable Captain.  _Captain_ Jack Sparrow was a showman, giving his crew and everyone else the display they expected from him.  More often than not it worked to his advantage.  But Jack the _man was often all but obscured by his more ostentatious half.  Winn studiously ignored the self-assured Captain, but let herself sleep in the arms of the man.  Could he forgive the ice princess Winn showed the world and chase after the woman who stood trustingly in his embrace?_

   _When all is said and done, I'm really no better at presenting a true face to the world than she is.  My thinking may not be as scrambled, but I'm guilty of the same faults.  The Captain can be content with silver and gold, but the man needs another treasure._

   These thoughts were interrupted by Ana Maria.  She came to him with a lamp and a piece of paper in her hand.  It was the letter.  Silently she gave them to him.

   "I'm not used to having to tell my crew to leave my correspondence alone, luv.  I didn't think I had to warn you about sticking your nose in my personal business."

   "You brood for much longer and it'll be ship's business.  We don't need a captain who's distracted, Jack.  Find out what she had to say then either go after her or forget her, but make up your mind."  Having imparted those words of wisdom, she left, leaving the lantern behind so that Jack could read what Winn had found important enough to write for him.

   Making up his mind to settle the matter once and for all, Jack opened the envelope and removed the two pieces of paper contained inside.

   _Jack,_

_   I used to sit with Elizabeth on clear summer nights and listen as she listed a dream or a wish for every star she could number.  I sit at my window tonight and find myself doing the same thing I did then.  Jack looked up at the stars that he himself was watching, wondering at the coincidence.  He had run into a lot of those lately.  As if fate were trying to get his attention.  He turned his attention back to the letter.  __I find myself listing reasons why I don't deserve love.  But tonight there is only one reason coming to my mind._

_   I hope that this makes some kind of sense to you, but I find myself believing that I'm not sure of who I am, and am therefore unable to be the wife that a man deserves.  I hardly know you, apart from what you've shown me.  I know how easy it is to show others what they want to see, however, so I must admit to taking what you've said and done with a grain of salt.  That doesn't change the fact that I want to know more, though.  But before I can do that, I need to find out if I am able to be the woman that love demands I be._

_   I've lived most of my life carrying my mother's ghost, so determined that her failings were passed on to me the same way that her height was. Only recently have I begun to doubt that._

_   So, I'm going home, to England.  To a village thirty miles from Ipswich to be exact.  I need to talk things over with my parents, in the way that people often talk to the dearly departed.  I don't expect any answers, but I hope to work through my doubts._

_   This is why I left.  This isn't something I can ask for help with, it's not something that I can allow another to do for me.  I doubt that I will be pleasant company during this time, and I know that I'll want to spend many hours alone.  I also know that you would have come with me anyway.  You chased me when I simply annoyed you, I doubt that you would do differently now, although I'm not sure if it would be out of anger or out of something deeper.  But if you don't give chase, if my actions have caused you to hate me, then I understand if you wish to never lay eyes on me again.  There are days that I wish the same._

_   I'm sorry Jack.  I wish I could reassure you that I would be coming back as a woman ready to accept love, but I can't.  It was wrong of me to go through with the marriage.  I did it because I knew that as long as I did, I would own a piece of you.  That's unfair considering that I'm unwilling to return the favor.  If you want, should you desire it, I will willingly release you from our agreement.  We haven't slept together, so nothing is yet final. _

_   I must go.  The sun is rising and soon people will be coming to ensure that I don't bolt before the ceremony.  I am sorry for what I am about to do, but I can't see any other path clearly._

_                     Winifred Morgan_

   "Gibbs!  Set sails for England!  I have some unfinished business with mistress Winn."

   "Ye know where she is then, Jack?"

   "Aye.  I know where she's headed, and I'm going to take her."

Three weeks later, Winn escaped from the cabin she was sharing with Alex's "cargo," the woman he had been hired to deliver to England.  As far as she was concerned, she could see why her lover had decided to discard her.  She was pretty enough (_Okay, she's beautiful), but she was spoiled, and idiotic, and generally useless for doing anything other than sitting in a parlor in some fancy house making polite yet empty conversation and drinking tea.  And that was not an occupation that could be found aboard the _Fortune's Run_.  If she had to listen to one more line of thoughtless drivel emerge from that woman's mouth, than she was going to either go insane or commit murder._

   _Yes, commit murder.  I hardly have the energy to take a walk around deck, and here I am contemplating something that would undoubtedly take large expenditures of energy._  Since leaving Osprey Point, Winn had sunk into a funk.  She missed Jack, she realized that she had done something incredibly stupid and foolish, and she _hurt.  Her soul hurt, her heart hurt, and her mind refused to work properly.  She kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking she was in his arms, and instead she found herself wrapped tightly in her blanket.  She had she shed more tears during those midnight revelations than she had in years.  Luckily for her, her bunkmate was not only a heavy sleeper, but snored loud enough to drown out whatever slight noises that Winn might make in her misery._

   _Not that you would expect such a thing of her.  She looks so dainty and refined.  Yet she snores louder than a bear in winter._  Winn walked to the nearest railing, watching as the wake of the ship smoothed out to once again become part of the ocean's surface.  Looking backwards.  Always looking backwards.

   Alex came up to her as she mindlessly stood there.  He let her be for several minutes before saying anything.  "Winn.  You have to stop beating yourself up.  You did what you felt you needed to.  It's not your fault that he's letting you slip through his fingers."

   "I could have done things differently, Alex.  I could have at least faced him as I told him I was leaving.  I could have explained myself in person.  I could have done something other than drug him."

   "You can't change the past.  You can live in it, you can ignore it, you can accept it, or you can regret it – but you can't change it."

   "Well, I'm definitely regretting this.  It wasn't one of my smarter moves."

   Alex shrugged.  "It wasn't one of your worst ones either.  I believe that one involved a long and complex plan to set me up with the miller's sister.  That was a bad idea, backfired completely."  Winn's face lightened a little, a rare grin creeping onto her face.

   "It's not like I knew better yet, and it's not like I ever did it again."

   "So you learn from your mistakes.  You'll learn from this one."

   "And if I don't get the chance to use that hard won knowledge?"

   "I think you may be surprised."

   Winn looked at Alex with a puzzled and suspicious look.  "What do you mean by that?"

   Alex looked suspiciously innocent.  "What do you mean by asking what I mean?"

   "What do you know that I don't?"

   "Nothing that you won't find out sooner or later."

   "Right.  I think I'm going to go try to read and ignore little miss Priss' as she complains about anything and everything."

   Winn left to return to her cabin.  Alex did have to admit to feeling some pity for his friend.  That Lady Patience was anything but patient.  Shaking his head, he walked over to his first mate.  "Has that ship continued gaining on us, Matthews?"

   "Aye, Captain."  Matthews handed over the spyglass he had in his hand.  "See for yourself.  She's nearly within identification distance."

   Alex looked and nearly smiled with relief when his suspicions were confirmed through the looking glass.  They were being followed by just the person he was hoping to see.  "Matthews, reef sails.  Drop anchor when they come within cannon range."

   "Captain.  The men are saying that's the _Black Pearl_.  If that's true –"

   "If that's true, we had best hand over what Captain Sparrow is seeking, hadn't we?" 

Winn felt the ship slow down, but she was too focused on trying to block out the voice of her cabin mate to pay close attention to the fact.  So focused was she in fact, that she didn't notice the raised voices outside or the sound of men boarding the ship.  She was sitting on her bunk, pretending to read, pretending to try to catch the faint sunlight on the pages of her book.  

   In reality she was once again going over the fact that is had been nearly five weeks since she had left Osprey Point and had seen neither hide nor hair of the man she had left behind.  _Not that I blame him.  I did something nearly unconscionable, drugging him like that.  Had we been on a ship I could have been tried for attempted murder since a drugged man can't very well defend himself.  I would understand if he never wanted to see me again, if he annulled the marriage._

   The first thing that disrupted her from her melancholy and repetitive thoughts was the ear-piercing shriek of Lady Patience, and a shadow falling over her book.  With a sudden sense of awareness and foreboding, she knew what had happened.  Who had entered the room.

"I believe you're standing in my light.  It's rather inconvenient at the moment.  It you would be so kind as to move."  While the words sounded polite, they were said with the tone of one who is tired of life's constant intrusions and tricks.  Winn hadn't looked up from her book yet, terrified at what she might see on the man's face.

   "The last time I checked, lass, pirates were never considered a convenience.  I think you'd best put your book down and stand up – I'm wanting some answers."  Jack replied now in the same way he had then.  The only difference in this exchange is that this time Winn did as she was asked.

   Standing, she looked at her husband, all nearly six feet of him.  Her eyes devoured everything about him, from the brim of his hat to the heels of his boots.  He didn't look too angry.  A bit irritated, perhaps . . . .

   Before Winn could ponder this any farther, Jack jerked her into him and delivered an amazingly passionate kiss to her mouth.

Winn reveled in his kiss.  Her entire being crying out that this was what it wanted.  That this closeness to another person was what it desired.  She absolutely gave over all her control to Jack in that moment, trusting him to not use this against her.

   Jack felt her surrender, felt her arms wrap around him.  He parted her lips with his own and deepened the kiss, demanding more than he ever had from her.  That she feel more, that she respond more, that she give more.  And she gave it.  He allowed his hands wander idly over her torso and back, never quite reaching her chest.  Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that there was still another person in the cabin, but his mind refused to acknowledge that this was any reason for ending his reunion with his wife.

   But even as he held her in his arms, he could feel his irritation with her, his anger at her disappearance flaring up weakly but with insidious persuasion.  _Well, she deserves it.  She's the one who left me.  And for who?  That blond outside?_  Breaking the kiss slowly, he asked Winn softly but cruelly, "Does your lover kiss you like that?"

   Winn looked confused for a moment as her brain was having a hard time processing the accusation.  _Lover?  I don't have a lover.  What is he talking . . . .  She realized suddenly that he was accusing her of leaving him for Alex.  Her own temper exploded before she could place any reign on it, the sudden resurgence of her hurt and doubt serving as a catalyst for her own anger.  _

   "How _dare you?" she hissed.  Quicker than a snake strikes, she lashed out with her hand.  Her palm connected with is cheek with a loud smack.  But no matter how much that had hurt him, it couldn't equal the pain of his betrayal of her trust.  She had turned it over to him without question, believing that the mere fact he had come after her was a sign that everything was going to be okay.  But he had taken it and then accused her of betraying him.  She felt betrayed by his feelings of betrayal._

   The sound of their sudden conflict sent Lady Patience into another paroxysm of hysterical shrieking.  She was ignored by the angry couple who were too far gone in fury and resentment to pay her any mind.

   Rubbing his cheek, Jack focused hard eyes on Winn.  "Your past behavior, indeed your current behavior, suggested that you might be susceptible to such a greeting.  I've seen what kind of morals women who live on boats usually portray.  That little display of yours did nothing to change my opinion."

   Winn felt as if the sky had fallen in razor sharp fragments on her head to reveal a sky as black and dense as a pirate's heart.  She reached out blindly to slap Jack again, but he caught her arm in an unbreakable grip.  She could feel the bruising force of it, but didn't particularly care.  She hurt too much for anything to increase the pain she was feeling.  "You ignorant excuse for a man.  You accuse me without any evidence.  I've remained perfectly faithful to you, for all the good it's done me.  I don't know where you find the nerve to say such things, but –"  The sobs and screams coming from the room's other occupant drowned out whatever it was that Winn had to say.  Not to mention that it distracted her from her anger for a moment, long enough for the pressure to stop building.

   Looking with Jack with all the loathing she was currently feeling for him, she ripped her arm free, ignoring the pain the move caused.  She swiftly crossed the room to the other woman's side.  Standing before her, Winn drew back her arm and slapped the hysterical woman harder than she had ever slapped anyone in her life.

   "You will _stop that caterwauling this __instant.  No one has done anything to you yet, so just stop it you silly, __useless excuse for a woman."_

   Patience stared at Winn in shock, a hand held to the red imprint on her cheek.  "You . . . you _hit me!  No one has ever dared –"_

   "Yes, well, now someone has.  What in the name of heaven were you carrying on for?"

   Patience looked as if she would very much like to run from Winn, but in this small cabin that would mean coming closer to the pirate.  "That . . . that man . . . he just came up and . . . and . . . accosted you!  And you're not even that pretty!"  Winn's eyes darkened in a warning for the other woman to watch herself.  "It was completely _improper_!  What if he . . . he . . . he kissed _me next?"_

   Rolling her eyes, Winn replied, "If my _husband_ kissed you, I'd make him very sorry indeed.  However, he didn't."  This statement caused her audience's jaw to drop open a very unfashionable way.

   "Your . . . your husband?" she squeaked.

   "Trust me; I feel the same way at the moment.  Now leave."  When the other woman seemed inclined to argue over this order, Winn simply narrowed her eyes and repeated herself.  "_Leave."  Patience obeyed._

   Left alone with her husband, Winn was once more reminded of her grievance with him.  Was reminded of how carelessly he had thrown accusations at her, how calmly he had torn at her heart.  Well, it was time to pay him back.  

   Without hesitation, she whipped out her knife from its place on her belt, and threw it at him as hard as she could.  She didn't hit him, but she did manage to bring a thin welt of blood to his upper arm.  Before she could start yelling at him again, he had her pinned against the wall, her wrists held immobile in one of his hands.  

   Shaking his head as if he were addressing a rebellious child, his hands giving lie to the mild look of amusement on his face, he said, "Now that was entirely undeserved."

   "If you believe that, then you're even more arrogant than I thought.  You come in here after following me against my wishes, you accuse me of _sleeping_ with men behind your back, you kiss me as if you love me, and then speak to me as if you hate me.  And now you're surprised that I'm _angry_ with you?"  Winn felt all her hurt come rushing back.  It made her foolish.

   "_You're the one who left __me.  If anyone around here has the right to be angry, it's me."_

   Without thinking, Winn said, "It's not my fault you felt as if you had to be drunk before you could sleep with me.  That you'd rather indulge in alcohol than talk to me."

   "You _drugged me!  What did you expect me to do?  Start comparing the works of famous literary figures and how the themes they favored contributed to their literary success?"_

   "**_I'm__ not the one who married someone they didn't love!"  Winn screamed this in the face of the man imprisoning her.  As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they either been the second biggest mistake of her life or the best thing she could have said.  She saw their impact in Jack's eyes, felt his grasp on her loosen.  Pulling free she wrapped her arms around herself as she turned to face the wall and rested her forehead against it._**

   Jack suddenly become conscious of just what he had been saying to this woman he claimed to love.  He realized that unlike with other women, Winn took it all to heart and believed every single word.  Took it as confirmation that she was a being undeserving of love.  He had let his irritation and jealousy get the better of him in the same way that Winn let her fears get the better of her.  He realized with sudden clarity that Winn hadn't been running from him, but from her panic of having all her worst fears proved right.  How was he supposed to fix this?  _Talk to her._

   "What do you mean, Winn?"  Had he called her anything but that, she might have left the cabin, might have decided to give up completely.  But he had called her by name – not by some endearment, but by her _name_.  

   Defeated, Winn answered.  "I heard you and Will talking that day you asked me to marry you.  I heard how you were so certain that the _Pearl_ was your only freedom, and how I was nothing but a weight around your neck.  An anchor."  Winn's voice diminished throughout her explanation until it was no more than an anguished whisper.  "I won't play second fiddle to a ship, Jack.  I won't be the 'ball and chain' while the _Black Pearl_ is your freedom.  I won't stand for it.  I _can't_ live like that.  I would shrivel up and die inside."  She turned and gazed at Jack with lifeless eyes.  "If that's how you truly feel about me, then you shouldn't stand for it either."

   _Well, **this** is a fine fuddle.  Looking at the defeated woman before him, Jack realized, really came to comprehend just how much she took things to heart – how deeply she felt things.  _But is it too late to use that knowledge?_  All his anger and irritation disappeared in the face of her pain.  She had circles under her eyes, her hair was lank and dull, and she seemed even skinnier than she had been the last time he had seen her.  It was suddenly all he could do to keep himself from sweeping her into his embrace and then into bed._

   But he did resist.  Somehow he knew that touching Winn right now would simply confuse her further, would further distort the issue.  Instead he removed himself from temptation, going to lean against the room's small table.  Crossing his arms, he said clearly, "There are three oaths that a man keeps on the sea, Winn.  Those made to his crew, those proclaiming revenge, and those made to his _wife.  And __no pirate gets married if he isn't truly in love with the woman he's to marry."_

   "Not even to save his own neck?"  The question was whispered as softly as ice melting in the spring.

   "What kind of life would a man have if he were forever tied to someone he don't love?"

   "So why . . . why . . ."

   "Why did I marry you?"  Winn nodded.  "I thought the answer should be obvious."

   Winn came a step closer to him, wanting to be able to forgive him, wanting this entire mess to be explained away.  Wanting him to make her stop hurting.  He had helped her before, but there was one thing still holding her back.  She needed to hear the words, needed to hear what he was dancing around.  Because then she could say it too.  "I need to hear it, Jack.  I need more than vague declarations."

   For several minutes of complete silence, Jack simply stared at his wife.  What she was asking for was more than he had ever given anyone.  It was more than he had ever even _thought_ of giving anyone.  Why couldn't she be content with the fact that he had married her, and leave things at that?

   He wasn't going to say it.  Winn felt her shoulder slump, her last hope dissolve.  _At least he refuses to be dishonest with me.  She nodded, trying not to break down in tears.  Slowly she started backing towards the door, preparing to run again.  To run for the last time because this time she wouldn't come back.  "Good-bye, Jack."_

Jack realized that if he let Winn walk out that door, then he was going to lose her forever.  That was not an option.  If she needed to hear the bloody words, then he'd say them, but he'd make sure she regretted it every day for the rest of her life.  Because that's how long he was going to keep her with him.

   Standing, he pulled out his sword and threw it, embedding it in the door near the hand she had extended to open it.  She jumped back and looked at him, unsure of what he was doing or why he was doing it.  He hadn't managed to lock her in the room, just to delay her departure. 

   Seeing the question in her eyes, he shrugged.  "So I may have picked up a few things from Will."  Leaning back against the table he said, "I just want to tell you that you are a hard-headed, foolish, demanding, sharp-tongued woman, and if you were ever anything less than that, I wouldn't love you as much as I do.  Can we please put this behind us now?"

   Winn couldn't believe what she was hearing.  That was possibly the most ungracious declaration of love she had ever heard in her life, yet it was the most precious.  Abandoning any thought she had of leaving, she walked across the room to Jack.  Stopping just out of reach, she said, "That was most likely the most unromantic thing I've ever heard from you, Jack Sparrow."

   "If you wanted romance, then you should have married a poet."

   Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Winn said, "You know, there's still time for me to correct that little oversight.  It's not as if this marriage is valid as of this point.  There must be someone around that –"  She stopped as she caught the glare that Jack was throwing her.  "Then again, maybe not."  Glancing down at her feet, she returned to the important matter. "Did you mean it?"

   "No, I said it simply to get you to fall into the bed with me so we can make madly passionate love."  Jack was unused to having to deal with this kind of situation.  He could face down countless men, could make jokes at his own hanging, but telling a woman he loved her was entirely outside of his experience.  His frustration at his own ineptness made him short.  "Of course I meant it.  However if you wanted to jump into bed anyway . . ."  He found Winn in his arms before he could finish.  She was hanging onto him with all the desperation of a drowning man.  "Is this a yes or a no?"  He felt tears seeping through his shirt.  "Never mind."

The two flawed lovers stood holding each other for some time.  Long enough for Alex to wonder if they had managed to kill each other.  Lady Patience was still in a lather over her treatment at Winn's hands, and while her complaints and protestations were amusing, they were also getting rather repetitive.  Faced with having to make a choice between listening to the spoiled woman for any longer and the danger of facing his friend while she was in a foul temper, Alex immediately voted for the more interesting option.

   Abandoning his passenger without even an "excuse me," to her great surprise and offense, he approached the cabin that held Winn and her husband.  Not even bothering to knock on the door, he entered the room.  What he found was Winn, her head buried in the man's chest, her arms around his waist while his were around her waist and shoulders, his head resting on hers.  _It looks as if they've managed to come to a truce – for the time being._  Alex doubted that they would go for long without finding something else to argue over. 

   Clearing his throat to announce his presence, Alex was treated to the full force of Jack's glare.  He tightened his arms around his wife as if staking a claim.  Alex tried to suppress a laugh – so Winn hadn't yet told her husband of his . . . inclination.  No wonder the Captain had come aboard with a cloud of jealousy hanging around him.  He watched as Winn murmured a question and as Jack replied, an eye still watching Alex suspiciously.  That eye widened as Winn again murmured, the trace of amusement in her voice reaching across the small room to where Alex stood by the door.  Jack looked at Alex assessingly before shrugging and loosening his hold on Winn.

Winn was feeling better than she had since the night of their arrival at Swallows Rest.  She was in her husbands arms, and he had just said that he loved her – albeit, not very willingly.  It was that hesitance that had convinced her of his sincerity.  Lies came easily, but the truth was often difficult to utter.  So for the time being, she put the thoughts of her journey out of her mind and focused on trying to decipher exactly what Jack smelled like.

   _The sea, the wind, a faint tang of . . . of tar.  And something else.  Soap?  Burying her nose in his shirt, she inhaled slowly.  _Yes, he smells a little like soap.  And of a hard day's work._  All in all, it was a very masculine scent – reassuring, slightly dominating, and entirely like Jack._

   She was going to say something to this effect when she heard someone clear their throat and felt Jack's arms suddenly tighten around her.  "Who is it?" she asked in sotto voice.  

   "Your . . . _friend."_

   Winn heard the reluctant jealousy in this statement and smiled.  The poor man still thought that Alex was competition for him, when in reality, he was competition for her.  But not much of one.  "Jack," she murmured wickedly.  "I think you can stop worrying about something happening between Alex and me.  For one thing, he's a very old friend.  For another, you're more likely to be his type than I am."  She smiled as she felt Jack freeze, his head lifting to look at her friend.

   "Oh."  He loosened his arms, and while she was disappointed in this, it was probably for the best.

   She turned her head to look at her friend, still reluctant to totally remove herself from Jack's embrace.  She was going to be leaving soon enough as it was without depriving herself of his touch while he was here in the same room with her.  Most of _their issues may have been resolved, but _hers_ were not._

   "Come to see the carnage?" she asked Alex.

   He shrugged.  "Apparently not.  But I may still get an opportunity."  Almost hesitantly he asked, "Have you decided what you'll be doing next?"

   "Returning to the _Pearl."_

   "Continuing to England."

   Winn and Jack looked at each other.  Jack had a look mild perplexity on his face, which was quickly overshadowed by determination.  Winn swallowed because she could see that this next discussion was going to be disagreeable.  Perhaps not as horrid as the last, but unpleasant nonetheless.  


	23. Give and Take

**Disclaimer:  **Still not mine, stop thinking it is.****

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**Last Time:**

   "Come to see the carnage?" she asked Alex.

   He shrugged.  "Apparently not.  But I may still get an opportunity."  Almost hesitantly he asked, "Have you decided what you'll be doing next?"

   "Returning to the _Pearl_."

   "Continuing to England."

   Winn and Jack looked at each other.  Jack had a look mild perplexity on his face, which was quickly overshadowed by determination.  Winn swallowed because she could see that this next discussion was going to be disagreeable.  Perhaps not as horrid as the last, but unpleasant nonetheless.  

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"What do you mean you'll be continuing to England?"  Jack was not happy with the direction this conversation had taken.  He had just gotten Winn in a good mood and now she wanted to leave again?  _Did I miss something here?  _"Don't be ridiculous.  You're coming with me."

   Winn pulled away from Jack.  She had just gotten him in a good mood and Alex had to bring that up.  _That wasn't the way I was planning on breaking the news.  _Glaring at her friend, she said, "You've been a big help Alex, thank you so much.  I think this is a conversation that we are capable having without you."  He shrugged as if to say, _It had to be brought up sooner or later,_ but he did leave without making any other comments.  

   Turning back to her husband, Winn tried to explain without sounding either too cold or too soft.  "Jack –" she wasn't sure where to start.  Might as well find out if he had bothered to read her first explanation.  "Did you read the letter I left for you?"

   "Yes, but I thought we had settled all that."

   Tightening her hands into fists at her sides to keep from touching him, she said, "Apparently you read it, but you didn't understand."  She had to make him see what she was talking about.  She wanted to simply give in to him so badly and she knew that if she was unable to make him listen now, then she would.  But she needed to confront her past to break her bad habits, and if she didn't do it now, she never would.  

   "We settled the issues that were between you and me, but there is a lot of my life that I have lived before I met you, Jack.  Most of my life has had nothing to do with you."  Jack looked completely unconvinced.  _How do I make him understand?_

   Enlightenment hit suddenly.  "Look.  You can swim, right?"

   She had managed to just lose him.  Jack couldn't see how swimming and leaving him were connected.  "Yes, love, I can swim.  What does that have to do with anything?"

   "Can you swim comfortably in deep water?  In the ocean?"

   "Yes, love."

   "Well, I can't.  I panic if I can't see what's underneath me.  And there are areas in my life that are just like deep water.  They don't bother you because you're able to deal with the unknown without panicking.  But I see those areas, and I _do panic.  And that affects how well I can build a relationship with you.  Every time I see a stretch of unknown waters, I'm going to panic and turn the other way.  I need to spend some time alone rediscovering those areas of my life.  Once they have, then I'll be able to deal with them and accept them as parts of me.  And then I can be the wife that you deserve.  But until them I'm still just half a woman who pretends to live because she's too scared to do anything else."_

   Jack might have been willing to admit that Winn had a point had she not been stubbornly refusing to stay with him.  She still wanted to leave him.  A lifetime as a pirate had made him unaccustomed to having what was his taken from him.  Well, there had been that whole episode with the _Pearl_, but he had spent nearly a decade of his life plotting and waiting for the right time to reclaim her.  He didn't want to have to wait that long for his wife to "discover" herself.

   He took Winn back in his arms, hoping that physical contact would help sway her to his side.  "I understand what you're saying, Winnie, but I think you're being a little extreme.  You say you want to be the wife I deserve – well, I deserve to have a wife who will stay with me.  Or if you're not willing to stay, then let me come."

   This was harder than Winn had thought it would be, especially with him resorting to unfair tactics.  Pushing away from him, Winn started pacing around the room to help clear her head.  "You just proved that you don't understand.  Yes, I'm your wife, but I'm also an individual – one who needs to be able to see an unadorned image of herself before she starts layering anyone else's image of her over that."  
   "Winn, if you had any lower opinion of yourself, you'd be a skeleton.  Why don't you just accept the fact that when I look at you I see a person I want to spend the rest of my wastrel life with and be content?"

   "Because that's my problem, Jack.  Right now I have this image of myself as an emaciated body – an undesirable, unwanted, unattractive person.  One twisted in body and mind and spirit.  I need to be able to look at my life, to look in a mirror naked in mind and body and see someone who is acceptable.  Someone who . . . who . . . ."  Words were starting to fail her and she was no closer to making herself clear.

   Suddenly angry at herself for being unable to clearly vocalize the thoughts that had been on her mind the entire time she had been running, she turned on Jack.  Throwing her hands up in the air in a gesture that was strongly reminiscent of Jack's own habit, she said, "This is why I ran away from you, Jack.  Because I _knew I wouldn't be able to make you understand what I needed."  Winn turned away from him again, sweeping a frustrated hand through her hair.  Walking over to the wall of the cabin, she started to slowly but forcefully kick it with her foot, trying to work off some of her nervous energy before she could emit another outburst.  _

   It was that inattention that led to her downfall.

That was it.  Jack had had enough of this.  If Winn wanted to go to England that was fine with him, but he would be the one taking her.  Their presence was no longer needed on the _Fortune's Run.  Looking around the small cabin, he spotted an abandoned scarf lying on the bunk that belonged to Winn's cabin mate.  _Former cabin mate.__

   He reached over and picked it up.  For a moment he considered whether to use it to tie Winn's hands or her mouth.  Undoubtedly she was going to have some things to say about his actions.  Shrugging to himself, he decided that it was better to inhibit as many of Winn's struggles as he could.  It would be unfortunate if she knocked them both off-balance and into the ocean.  Besides, she was cute when she was angry – when she wasn't hitting him that was.

   He quietly came up behind her, making sure that surprise was on his side.  She was going to put up enough of a fight _without giving her any forewarning.  Luckily, she was buried deep within her own thoughts, trying to think of an argument she could make that would convince Jack of her need to leave him.  Not that any argument would have been successful at the moment._

   She was outraged when she felt herself pushed suddenly into the wall and her hands being jerked behind her.  "What in the name of heaven and all the saints are you doing, Sparrow?!"  She tried to push herself off from the wall, but seeing as how her hands were otherwise occupied and how Jack had managed to lock her legs together with one of his, she wasn't able to put up much resistance.

   Making sure that his knot wasn't about to come lose anytime soon, Jack whirled Winn around to face him.  Sure enough, she was completely livid, her hair hanging in her eyes, doing absolutely nothing to diminish the look of irate astonishment she was giving him.  "Let me go, Jack.  I don't know what you think you're trying to do –"

   Leaning into her personal space with a decidedly superior smirk on his face, Jack said as she backed into the wall, "I don't 'think' I'm doing anything.  I _know_ that I am taking you back to the _Pearl_ and there we will settle this matter once and for all."  Lowering one shoulder, Jack scooped her up over her nearly incomprehensible protests.  Leaving the cabin with Winn over one shoulder, he walked out onto the deck.

   Winn's arguments and protests and insults had stopped as soon as she had felt sunlight hit her back.  She had never been so humiliated in her life, and was not going to add to the humiliation by making a willing spectacle of herself.  _I would have gone with him willingly had he simply **asked** if I would return to the Pearl _to talk this over, _she thought._  But no, he has to prove that he's a stupid man, incapable of rational thought.  I swear that I am going to make him regret this in the **very** near future.  He's going to be so –__

   The sound of terrified and despairing screams made her look up from her thoughts.  Sure enough, there was the feather-brained Lady Patience screaming at the sight of a vicious pirate carrying off a woman.  She was screaming something to the crew, demanding protection or some equally selfish thing.  The crew was simply standing around and glaring at her as if they wished that Jack was taking her instead.  Alex's crew that was.  Jack's crew was standing around glaring at her as if they were going to mutiny if Jack even considered the idea.

   "Idiot woman."  Jack overhead this muttered comment from Winn.  Glancing around, he too caught sight of Patience.  Stopping dead in his tracks, nearly losing his hold on Winn, he went pale under his tan.  

   "Not you again," he moaned.  It was that same woman he had held for ransom after getting the _Black_ _Pearl_ back.  The one who he was certain was the spawn of the very devil himself.  "Not for all the Spanish doubloons on the ocean floor would I take _her back onboard.  Men!" he roared.  "It's time we left.  All hands back to the __Pearl."  _

   Winn decided to have a bit of fun before she was entirely off the _Fortune's Run.  Patience had managed to drain off the little bit of that same virtue that Winn had left.  "Oh no, please, don't take me with you!" she cried out, pretending to be frightened.  "That other woman is ever so much prettier, and would bring you ever so much more for ransom than I.  Please, put me down and take her instead!"  Patience's screams redoubled at this point.  Pleased with herself at this reaction, Winn actually smiled.  Alex put a quick stop to that._

   He came up behind the pirate and his bride, and said quietly to Winn, "My, you're becoming ornery.  I think it's about time that that Captain of yours really made a wife out of you.  It might sweeten your disposition."

   Glaring at her friend, Winn said in a sickly sweet tone, "Alex, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but, go sod off."

   So it was in this undignified manner that Winn found herself once more returning to the _Black Pearl. _

Jack set Winn down on the floor of his cabin.  As all the blood rushed from her head, she lost her balance and pitched into Jack, unable to regain her balance with her hands still bound behind her back.  He caught her before they both tumbled to the floor.

   _This is nice, thought Winn.  Realizing what she had just thought, and what it meant, and what thinking about it more would lead her to do, Winn jerked her attention to something other than how nice it was to be held by Jack and how nice it would be for more to happen.  __No.  I am not about to let that happen.  Leaving is going to be hard enough without giving the man the right to do **that.  Besides, it should be an incentive for him to let me go, right?  The sooner I get back, the sooner we can start behaving like a normal just-married couple.  Right.  Right.  Unknown to her, Jack had no intention of letting her use intimacy as a bargaining chip.**_

   "Jack, let me go.  This is ridiculous.  I belong on the _Fortune's Run for right now. I need to go to England."  Winn pulled free of Jack once again, thoroughly frustrating the man.  She half turned her back on him, hoping he would free her hands.  When he did no such thing, she glanced over her shoulder.  "You can stop brooding, Jack.  I'm not going to run out the door as soon as you let me go."_

   Still, Jack remained silent, simply observing her.  _Winnie, you are so naïve.  I have you here in my cabin, semi-legally bound to me, entirely at my mercy, and you feel as if you can taunt me with impunity?  It was time Winn learn a lesson.  No one dictates anything to a pirate captain._

   While she still had her back to him, Jack came up and took her in his arms.  Quelling her struggles with a minimum of effort, he started nuzzling her neck.  His hands were busy rubbing up and down her arms, touching her nowhere else.  Simply up and down, up and down, causing shivers to do the same along Winn's spine.

   She stiffened, trying to being as much distance between her and her husband as was possible (which wasn't much).  "What are you doing?"  Winn's voice was a little higher than usual which made Jack smile.  He was glad to know that she wasn't nearly as impervious to his advances as she acted, although after that kiss in her cabin he had already had his share of doubts.

   _This was why Winn hadn't wanted to come back to the ship with Jack.  She knew that once she was truly alone with him, something like this would happen, and she would be hard pressed to stop it.  While she had only spent two full nights in a bed with him, she had become accustomed to having his presence there.  Now there were no small children to interrupt anything he might be planning, no real reason why he shouldn't be planning anything.  Had they been legally married, he would have the right to do whatever he wanted no matter how she felt about the matter.  This marriage was no different.  She had still given up some of her control to him through marriage.  And he was diligently working on gaining the rest of her control._

   "Jack . . . stop."  The blasted man was still nuzzling her throat, his breath warm on her skin.  If she couldn't get him to stop now, she doubted she would be able to stop herself later.

   "Tell you what."  Jack stopped tormenting Winn for a moment.  "Let's place a little wager."  His hands were still rubbing up and down her arms.  "Another swordfight between you and me.  If I win, you stay here and we'll  . . . discuss  . . . this plan of yours.  If you win, we'll catch up with your friend as soon as possible and send you on your merry way to England.  With the solemn oath that you'll return of course."  He turned Winn so that she was facing him.

   "And the terms of the duel?" she asked cautiously.  She wasn't sure that this was a bet worth placing.  Or that it was a bet worth passing up.

   "We fight until one of us disarms the other.  No blood this time.  I plan on having you healthy at the end of our little match."  He grinned lecherously, this time with the intent to follow through in his eyes.  It unnerved Winn, but at the same time it roused feelings in her.  The same ones that had so confused her aboard the _Kingfisher_.  The one that felt like anger, only more dangerous in a way.  More volatile.  

   Still gazing into his eyes, she quickly weighed her options.  _I say no, he does what he wants anyway.  I don't have a choice, but I most likely go along with it.  We fight, he wins, and I still do what he wants but can only blame myself.  We fight, I win, and he takes me back to the _Fortune's Run._  Except we both know that the chances of me disarming him are slight.  Hold him off, yes, I've done that, but he still won – or would have if I hadn't found a loophole.  If there was a chance that I knew that something that Will had taught me would help me win, I might risk it, but surely Jack knows those tricks already.  But if I don't fight, and we still end up . . . end up . . . together . . . then I have the option of blaming him and running from my feelings which I don't want to do anymore.  So all that leaves me with is the decision to fight and the slim hope of winning._  Winn sighed.  She greatly disliked impossible situations.  They made her feel powerless.  She disliked that Jack was boxing her into a corner now.  _Why can't he just let me go?_

_   **Because he loves you, you nitwit.**_  Oh joy.  Her inner voice was back again, and as irritable as ever.

   Jack saw herself fight with her intellect, watched her internal debate as it was reflected in her eyes.  Saw her decision before she voiced it.  He turned her and untied her hands.  He watched as she rubbed at her wrists to restore full circulation to her hands.  Briefly he felt sorry for having tied them so tight until her remembered that she would have struggled until she had freed herself otherwise.

   Walking over to one of her trunks that had been left onboard when he had left Osprey Point, he open it and removed the sword that Will had given her.  Turning back to her, he caught her kilting her skirt up around her waist.  To his not-so-great surprise, he saw that she had been wearing leggings under her dress, unlike most women who simply would have worn stockings.  He raised one eyebrow in silent scrutiny of her choice of wardrobe before tossing her sword to her. 

   Drawing his own waepon, he let her get into position.  When he was sure that she was ready, he attacked without warning; a simple offense that she would have no problem parrying.  He had every intention of winning this fight, but he'd rather not let on how much he had allowed her in their last duel.  That would surely make her furious, and that wasn't exactly the type of passion he wanted to rouse in her at the moment.  Or anytime in the near future for that matter.

   Winn countered the move, mildly surprised that he was choosing so simple an attack.  If he was as earnest as he seemed, she would have expected him to try a bit harder to bring this to a quick end.  As pass after pass, thrust after block was exchanged without Jack doing more than break a light sweat, Winn began to suspect something.

   _He's holding back.  She remembered how surprised Will had been at the story of their last duel, how incredulous he had been that they had managed to fight for as long as they had.  Realization suddenly burned in her gut.  __He was holding back.  The torchlight kept me from seeing how little he was exerting himself.  He was . . . was . . . **humoring** me the entire time!_

   Jack saw in her eyes that he had been found out.  One minute Winn was simply fighting with him, and the next she was fighting against him.  "You dishonest crook.  All that time you were simply humoring me.  I am not a child to be indulged.  If you want to fight, then do it, but don't insult me through condescension."  As she spoke, she picked up the pace of their fight, her sword moving almost recklessly in her anger.

   Jack obliged her with a mental shrug to himself.  _So much for not letting her catch on.  I must remember that she's not nearly as brainless as most women._

   The pace of their fight continued for another five minutes or so.  It was then that Winn managed to somehow break through Jack's guard and scratch his ribcage.  It wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been pondering how much more vibrant she looked when she simply let herself loose to feel and react in the way that her nature demanded.  It was the essential Winn, her very heart that he saw when she stopped guarding her every word and move.

   "Pay attention!" Winn snapped, upset that he wasn't taking this seriously.  Yes, she had learned a trick or two from Will, but she now knew that it should have been much more difficult to land that hit.

   Jack suddenly felt his grip on his own temper slide.  If she wanted him to "pay attention," then he would.  He was growing tired of this anyway.

   Winn regretted what she had said as soon as Jack began his next attack.  She could immediately tell the difference between how he had been fighting before and how he was fighting now.  It was suddenly all she could do to keep up with him.  _That was brilliant, she thought as she started to give ground before him.  Before she knew it, her back was to the wall and she could retreat no further.  In the next instant, her sword was gone from her hand, and Jack's was embedded in the wall at her side.  And in the second after that, he was kissing her in the way a man kisses a woman he intends to spend the night with._

   Oh well, she had bargained and lost.  If this was the consequence, then she would give in.  Perhaps not gracefully, perhaps not without a struggle, but she really had no other choice.  And that simply fed her anger and her desire.

   Jack felt her respond as he knew she would, felt her kiss him back, felt her hands wrap themselves in her shirt.  Pulling away for a moment, he looked into her eyes which were filled with fury and longing.  Although one emotion was quickly overtaking the other.

   Staring back at him, Winn hissed, "I hate you."

   Smirking, Jack replied, "No you don't."  And that was the last thing said for quite some time. 

Jack lay on his back on his bed, his wife lying nearly on top of him.  In her sleep she had refused to move away from him, throwing a bare arm across his equally bare torso, her head resting on his chest under his chin, and her other arm wrapped under and around his shoulder.  For someone who had been as squeamish as she had when it came to physical intimacy, she had certainly taken to things rather quickly.  Grinning in his contentment, he thought, _Jack Sparrow triumphs again._

   He had been asleep himself up until a few minutes ago.  Winn had started murmuring incomprehensible words in her sleep, waking him even though her mumbles were barely audible.  Jack watched as an unhappy frown took residence on her face.  _Can't have that happening._  "Winnie, wake up love.  Whatever is causing you distress isn't worth your time, especially when you have a husband waitin' to entertain you."

   Slowly Winn awoke.  At first she tensed as if unsure where she was, looking up at him as if she were confused.  "Jack?"  He could see memories of the past few hours return to her.  Everything from him surprising her on the ship to how they had ended up in bed.  With memory came a certain amount of security, and she once again rested her head on his chest.

   For several minutes she did nothing but relax against her husband as he started to rub a hand up and down her back.  She could hear his heartbeat underneath her ear, the sound steady and calming.  Unconsciously she started to match her breathing to its' beat.  The soothing motion of his hand almost sent her back to sleep, and she would have been glad to go had she been sure that sleep would offer her haven from her thoughts.  If she could have escaped her troubles for even a short time.  Unfortunately, she knew better.

   Jack interrupted her thoughts.  "Okay, your turn.  I told you why I married you.  Your turn to tell me why you went through with it."  He brought up the subject, hoping that it would somehow cheer Winn up.  Regrettably, it had the opposite affect.

   It was suddenly too much for Winn to handle: being reunited with her husband, the frustration of not being able to make him understand what she needed, the swordfight, what had followed.  And most importantly, her continued conviction that she needed to go back to England . . . alone . . . without the one man who had let her know that it was okay for her to love.  With her voice tight with emotion, she managed whisper, "Because I _want_ to love you."

   Winn started to cry silently, trying to hide the fact from Jack.  She managed until her tears started to drop onto his chest.  His hand paused on her back as he realized what she was doing.  _Something tells me those aren't tears of joy.  He let out his breath harshly, frustrated not with Winn, but with the situation.  He hadn't wanted to fall in love.  He may not have done everything he could to avoid it, but he hadn't meant to.  And he certainly hadn't meant to fall in love with such a complicated woman.  The __Pearl was complicated but predictable.  Winn was anything but predictable, which was in itself predictable._

   Not knowing what else to do or say, hoping that she would give him a clue as to what she wanted him to do, he simply said, "Ah, Winnie."

   She heard the frustrated patience in his voice.  "I'm sorry.  I don't mean to act like such a ninny."

   Jack rolled his eyes.  "Love, you may be naïve at times, but you're not a ninny.  If anything, you over-think your problems, not the opposite."  Winn sniffed, knowing that a reply wasn't needed.  "So, let's get the obvious answer out of the way.  Are you in the midst of indescribable angst caused by regret over what we just did?"

   He felt Winn let out a breathy sigh that was meant to pass as a cynical laugh.  "No.  Yes.  I don't know.  Possibly."  Winn rolled onto her back, pulling the covers up to her chin.

   Okay, so that wasn't quite the answer that he had been expecting.  It was also the one he hadn't wanted to hear.  It made him doubt whether Winn had really wanted to be with him, or if he had simply persuaded her to do so over her own doubts.  He didn't like feeling this way.  He was Captain Jack Sparrow – he was supposed to know what he was doing at all times.  Propping himself up on an elbow so he could watch her face, he asked, "So which on is it, Winnie?  Don't spare my feelings."

   With her eyes shut, a look of uncertainty on her face, she answered.  "Perhaps I do regret it."  She opened her eyes to look at him and caught the hurt that flashed in his own eyes.  Reaching up to gently touch his face she continued, "But not for the reason you might think, Jack.  I wanted this as much as you did.  I'm not regretting becoming your wife, in any capacity.  It's just that . . . it's just that life is just so _hard sometimes, and this didn't change anything."_

   _Well, as long as she's not mad at me or ashamed of herself, then I suppose this is still a redeemable situation.  "What do you mean this hasn't changed anything?"_

   "I still need to go to England, and you still refuse to let me."

   "Wait.  I never said you couldn't go, love.  I said you couldn't go without me."

   "And _that's where we bog down," she muttered as she tucked her hand back into her chest._

   Jack could be a patient man, but he was still a man, and a pirate at that.  The tone of her voice challenged him to defend himself against her unspoken accusations.  "_We_ are not bogging down anywhere, lass.  It's _you_ who are too stubborn to give in."

   "And it's _you who are too afraid to listen!"_

   "_I'm afraid?"  Jack pulled away from Winn, sitting up in the bed.  In a calm but impersonal voice he said.  "I'm not the one who's spent the last decade building walls to keep every person in her life at arms' length.  _I'm_ not the one who pretends to feel nothing.  _I'm_ not the one who ran away from the person I just married simply because I couldn't tell the truth."_

   "And _you're not the one who's understanding that I'm doing my best to tear those walls down, but that it's going to take time!"  How was it that at one moment she wanted to never leave this man's side, and in the next she could barely stand to look at him?  How was it she kept letting him upset her?  "I'm __trying Jack.  But it's hard, and it's time consuming, and every time I think I'm okay, that I'm able to function like a normal person, something else comes up to prove that I can't.  And _you're_ certainly not helping me by telling me things I already know."  Winn got out of the bed, pulling the sheet with her to cover her body._

   "I _know I'm your wife Jack.  I think that that is a rather indisputable point at the moment.  But I'm also a sister, and an aunt, and a friend, and a role model, and a potential mother, and a granddaughter, and a captain, and a daughter.  But when am I ever __Winn anymore?  Just plain Winn?  Where did she go?  I have so many roles that I play on a day to day basis, but whatever happened to the actor?"_

  As she spoke, Jack found that he had his own little voices to deal with.  He remembered his thoughts that night several weeks ago about how Captain Jack Sparrow was a person he played.  But Jack was who he was.  Unlike Winn, he remembered who the man outside the role was, even if he didn't spend much time being him anymore.  Winn didn't remember who she was outside of her roles.

   Turning to Jack, she saw understanding in his eyes.  Finally she was explaining her actions in a way he understood.  She couldn't stop now.  She came over to the bed and knelt down on the floor next to it.  Looking up at Jack from her position, she reached over and took one of his hands in both of hers.  "It's not that I don't want you to come with me, Jack.  I do.  I . . . I need you.  You always manage to make me just upset enough to have the courage to keep going.  But I know that if you did come, all I would focus on was learning another role – your wife.  I don't want to simply be your wife.  I want to be Winn, your wife.  Do you see the difference?  In one, I'm simply what you need me to be.  The other is me being myself and finding that that's all you need me to be.  Nothing else."  Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

   Against such a rationalization Jack really had no choice but to yield to her requests.  But he wasn't happy about it, and they were still going to do things his way.  "Fine.  Go."  Winn's eyes widened in shock, amazed that she had persuaded him to agree to let her go.  "But I'm laying four conditions on you."  The look of surprise on her face slowly turned to wry amusement.

   _Of course he has conditions for me to follow.  A price for me to pay.  I'll pay it willingly though, if only he will let me go.  "Whatever it is, my answer is yes."_

   _Sure, **now** she's bein' agreeable.  Why didn't I think of this before?  Would have saved myself the headache.  "You're going to agree, just like that?"_

   "I trust you not to be unreasonable, Jack."

   He narrowed his eyes at her, suspecting her of trying to trick him in some manner, or of trying to humor him.  "Fine.  Condition one; you have two months in which to do this."

   "Jack, it takes two months to complete the crossing!  You have to give me more time than that."

   "How long were you thinking of being gone?"

   Winn shrugged.  "I don't think I had thought that far ahead yet."  Thinking, she said, "I'd like seven months."  When Jack started to protest, she quickly explained.  "That's including travel time and three months to do what I need to in England.  The time of the trip home will double as some more time to think and come to find who I am."

   "And when will these seven months of yours start, love.  Today?  Tomorrow?  Whenever I return you to your bloody friend?"

   "They started the day we married.  I can only think that's fair."  Since Jack was being so amenable to her requests, it seemed right to go ahead and have started her time already.

   Jack still didn't like this.  Seven months was too long.  He had finally gotten Winn to agree to be his wife in word and deed, and now she wanted to leave him for over half a year?  Not while he was still captain of the _Black Pearl_.  "Five months, and I come and get you."

   Winn turned mulish at this.  "No Jack.  If you're going to impose four conditions on me, than this is the only one I ask to impose on you – you're to stay out of English waters."

   "But –"

   "No Jack.  Father was a legalized pirate, and he was still killed in English waters.  You're a full-fledged pirate, and not only are the English out for your head, but so are the Spanish, the French, and the Portuguese, and who knows who else.  There are a lot more navy ships closer to home than there are in the Caribbean.  I can't risk you dying, or being captured simply because I made no argument when it came to coming after me.  I need to know that I'm coming back to something.  Please, promise me you'll stay here."

   Jack could hear the denied fear in her voice as she spoke.  It was that, not her arguments that made him agree to stay behind.  "Agreed."

   "Thank you."  She squeezed his hand.  "What else did you want me to agree to?"

   "That you'll stay in whatever godforsaken town that you're going to.  And that you will write me at least once a month to keep me informed.  You needn't give me all the messy details – please, I would prefer you didn't – but it would be nice to know that you're still alive."

   Winn nodded, indicating her willingness.  "Easily promised.  What are the other two?"

   Jack debated whether or not he should tell both of them to her now.  _Save the last one.  It's going to be hard enough to say as it is._  "I'll tell you one last one today, love."

   "Well?"

   "We're not leaving to catch up with your friend for another four days.  We should catch up with him in a week.  That gives you and me a week to get . . . better acquainted."  Jack pulled Winn back up onto the bed and rolled onto her.  He started kissing her neck, remembering the response he had gotten from her the last time he had.

   As Winn wriggled, trying to focus on something other than what he was again doing to her, she asked, "And what . . . what . . . what's the catch?"

   Between each word in his answer, Jack moved a little higher on her neck, working towards her mouth.  "We're . . . not . . . leaving  . . . this . . . cabin."

   At the moment, Winn wholeheartedly agreed.

Jack's required week passed more quickly than Winn could have imagined.  He hadn't been kidding when he had said that they weren't going to set foot outside his . . . their . . . cabin doors.  The only time they had ever even opened them was to fetch the food left outside for them.  Now, as Winn stood at the stern of the ship and watched as the _Fortune's Run_ came closer and closer, all she could do was wish that she didn't need to do this.  Didn't need to leave Jack behind.  Didn't need to depend solely on herself for one last time.

   Still caught up in her thoughts, she looked down at her left hand.  This morning when she had awakened, once again in Jack's arms, once again finding him watching as she slept, she had felt something on her ring finger.  She had simply met Jack's gaze for sometime, afraid to see what she would find on her hand.  But she hadn't been able to resist looking forever.

   It hadn't been the diamond ring she had half been suspecting.  _Jack would never do something so conventional.  Give me a ring to wear as a wedding band?  Yes, but only so that I feel more "married," as a reminder that he's waiting for me.  But a diamond would have been too much._  What she found was a medium sized black opal set in a slender silver band.  It was beautiful and mesmerizing, and dark, yet fiery.  She idly wondered which one of them it was supposed to represent.  _Or is it both of us?  Or am I making a big deal out of nothing?  Perhaps this is the only ring he had that would fit my small little hands._

   She hadn't said anything about it, other than, "You know, I've never really liked diamonds.  They've always reminded me of ice."  She hadn't thanked him.  Had simply placed a lingering kiss on his lips before getting out of bed to get ready.  Words hadn't been necessary.  If they had been, he would have waited until she was awake to give it to her.

   Arms wrapping around her shoulders brought her back to the present.  "It's time, love."  Everything had been prepared.  One of the men was carrying one of her trunks to Alex's ship so she would have a few more clothes.  All that remained was for her to leave, and she was finding it harder than she had the first time.  Much harder.

   "Walk me there?"  Jack nodded, out of his element.  He had never willing let go of anything he had loved before.  Had never trusted love to return.  But Winn was another matter.  If he didn't let her go now, he'd find that he would lose her in other ways.  He had decided this morning as he watched her sleep that if he truly loved her, then he would do it on her terms, with her as a person at peace with herself.

   The couple was silent.  The crews of both ships were silent.  The only sound was that of the constantly ripples of the sea meeting the hull of the two ships.  Turning to his own crew, Jack growled, "Get to work, y'scalawags.   It's not a show I'm putting on for your pleasure."  His crew dispersed, as did Alex's at a nod from their captain.

   Winn and Jack stood looking at each other for some time, each trying to leave the other, but neither willing to until it was absolutely necessary.  It was Winn who finally broke the silence.  "Well . . . I guess I'll see you in a few months then.  You'll remember to meet me in Tortuga."

   "Aye, love.  At the _Faithful Bride_.  How could I forget that?"

   Winn nodded clumsily.  "I'll see you then, I guess."  She turned to go, but at the last minute turned back to give Jack kiss, one prompted by passion and desperation.  Jack responded instantly, grateful to break the awkwardness between them.  This was how a pirate captain said good-bye to his wench.  Just because he had married the woman didn't mean she wanted to be treated any differently.

   Pulling away, Winn asked in a breathless voice, "What was your last condition?  You never told me."

   Capturing her gaze with his, Jack said, "The last condition was you have to promise to come back to me.  But I was hopin' you'd do that anyway."  Winn's eyes filled with longing to stay and never go.  But they both know this had to be done.  Jack kissed her harshly one last time, before shoving her out onto the gangplank running between both ships.  She understood what he was silently telling her, and quickly boarded the _Fortune's Run,_ not looking back.

   Walking to the prow of the ship, she looked back only once.  Jack had already turned and was barking orders to his crew.  If his voice sounded a bit more gravelly than normal, it must have only been because they had spent hours talking the night before.  Cursing, she wiped a tear from her eye.  _I promised myself I wouldn't cry._

Quickly reaching her goal, she looked ahead as the _Black Pearl _fell behind, soon becoming nothing more than an toy nearing the horizon.  For once in her life she stopped looking back, kept her eyes set on their plotted course.  The sooner they reached England, the sooner she could return.


	24. Epilogue

Disclaimer:  Still don't own them, though after the amount of times that I've gone and seen it, you'd think the least Disney could do is send me a thank you card.  grin

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**The Ending of the Last Actual Chapter:**

   Capturing her gaze with his, Jack said, "The last condition was you have to promise to come back to me.  But I was hopin' you'd do that anyway."  Winn's eyes filled with longing to stay and never go.  But they both know this had to be done.  Jack kissed her harshly one last time, before shoving her out onto the gangplank running between both ships.  She understood what he was silently telling her, and quickly boarded the _Fortune's Run, not looking back._

   Walking to the prow of the ship, she looked back only once.  Jack had already turned and was barking orders to his crew.  If his voice sounded a bit more gravelly than normal, it must have only been because they had spent hours talking the night before.  Cursing, she wiped a tear from her eye.  _I promised myself I wouldn't cry._

_   Quickly reaching her goal, she looked ahead as the _Black Pearl _fell behind, soon becoming nothing more than an toy nearing the horizon.  For once in her life she stopped looking back, kept her eyes set on their plotted course.  The sooner they reached England, the sooner she could return._

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   Lesser Ipswich really hadn't changed much in the time that Winn had been away.  The village was still small, the roads still worn with wagon and carriage tracks, and the sea still pounded the rocks and the cliffs that the town ranged across.  And at the moment, the familiar grey veils of winter rain were falling from the sky.  Winn could not wait to get back home.

   Alex had dropped her off in Brighton almost three months ago.  She had stayed in the town for three days.  While there, she had stopped by the solicitor that Governor Swann still kept employed to watch over his English business matters.  Apparently Elizabeth had remembered that this man had been given charge over her mother's effects, one of which was a diary belonging to Winn's mother.  She had given Jack a note to give to Winn so that she could collect it should she ever want to.

   Winn had, and she didn't know what she would have done without it.  Reading those pages written by her mother had brought so much of her life back into focus – had reminded Winn of all the good times they had had.  But most importantly she had found out how much her mother had truly loved her.

   Sitting now in her room in the town's only inn, Winn found herself skimming through those pages once again.

_   "This is the first day that I have been strong enough to write since the birth of the twins.  _

_I have a beautiful little daughter, who've we've named Winifred.  She's a stubborn little thing, _

_I can tell already.  She screams and howls, and yet has this look of mischief in her eye that I _

_swear she does these things just to make the rest of us pay more attention to her.  Maxwell _

(Winn's father) _says that I'm imagining things, but I don't care.  I'm simply so thankful that one _

_of my children survived that I am willing to believe anything.  My only daughter is a joy and a_

_ treasure.  She had captivated her brothers and her proud papa and her mother."_

_   "I was so proud of Winn today.  She got into a fight with some of the other village girls.  They _

_had been harassing little Elizabeth.  They didn't for long.  The other mothers don't understand _

_why I'm proud of her.  The called her a heathen, and a tomboy, and a mischief-maker.  One went _

_so far as to call her a changeling.  I don't care – she did exactly what I would have her do – stand _

_up for a friend.  Perhaps I do wish that she had found another way to do so, but having grown up_

_ with so many brothers, I am not surprised that she managed to give several girls black eyes and _

_another a split lip.  I think I shall keep her indoors for several say . . . or at least until the bruises_

_ start to fade."_

_"My daughter becomes more a woman everyday.  Maxwell says that she's looking more and _

_more like his mother every time he sees her.  Except for her height – she still remains short and_

_ rail thin, but her personality helps make up for that.  I can only hope that one day she finds a _

_man capable of appreciating that in her, otherwise she'll have a miserable life."_

Winn looked up from her reading.  The rain was slowing to a light drizzle.  She could face that.  She had one last thing to do before she left in the morning.

   Picking up a heavy shawl from a chair by the fireplace, she left her room.  As she descended the stairs, she nodded at the other people gathered in the inn's taproom.  Most of these people she remembered faintly from her childhood as they remembered her.  For the past two months she had heard whispers of her wilder youth.  Not many people approached her, and she was merely polite to those who did.  She had not come back to see them, but to see herself.

   Walking out the door, she turned left down the main road, towards the cemetery.  She needed to speak to her parents one last time before she went home.  She needed to let them know that she no longer blamed them for dying and leaving her alone – and that she was no longer alone.

   She stopped only once, to pick some wildflowers that had managed to survive the English winter.  They were hardy little things, made to last and stand strong against the sea winds and elements alike.  They may not have been roses, may not have been perfect, but in her eyes they were all the more beautiful for having survived this long in a environment that was out to get them.  She remembered how that felt.

   Passing the gates of the cemetery, she walked directly to the place where her mother was buried, and her father immortalized in a simple name graven in granite.  Setting the flowers down on the gravesite, she leaned on a convenient tombstone.  "Hi Mama, hi Papa.  I finally came to see you, to say good-bye.  I know that I've been refusing to do so for so long now, but I think I've finally grown up.  I think you would be proud of me again.

   "Papa, I just want you to know that I don't blame you for causing Mama's death anymore.  I don't think that you loved the sea more than you loved us.  I know . . . I've been told . . . how rough things were back in my childhood – how everyone was struggling to make ends meet.  And with such a large family, I know you had to be gone most of the time to support us.  I never thanked you for that, but I want to now.  I miss you, but I've never forgotten what you taught me – even when I wanted to.

   "Mama, I just want to tell you that I'm so sorry.  For a long time I was mad at you for dying, and then I decided that you had never really loved me.  That you had given all your love to Papa.  But I know now that you simply loved Papa differently than you loved me.  I'm sorry for thinking ill of you, when I realize now that you loved me and my brothers so much.  Please, I hope that you can forgive me."

   Winn glanced over her shoulder.  She may have needed to get these things off her chest, but that didn't mean that she wanted anyone else to hear her.  No one was around, however; everyone else had enough good sense to stay inside on such an uninviting day.

   Turning back to what was left of her parents, she resumed talking.  "I just wanted to let you both now that if you've been worrying about me, you can stop.  You see, I've married a rather good man.  Not too good, because that would be boring, but good nonetheless.  I know, he's a pirate, but he doesn't take joy in harming people as far as I can tell.  Well, he might have enjoyed torturing his first mate, but that's only because the man led a mutiny against him.

   "Anyway, he loves me, and that's all that I find matters.  And, I think, I think that I love him to.  I definitely want to be with him, I want to spend time talking to him, to know everything about him and to have him know the same things about me."  Winn blushed, "I definitely don't mind sharing a bed with him.

   "It's just that we fight so much.  I can see why loving might not be a good idea.  The people you love can hurt you ever so much more than people you don't car about.  And I definitely care about him.  I guess I'll find out whether or not I love him soon enough.

    "I suppose that's what I really wanted to tell you.  I'm leaving England again, and I probably won't ever come back.  I realize now that my place is with Jack, that I long to simply be with him even if we never spoke another word to each other, never touched each other again.  Well . . . maybe not.  If that happened I might have to leave and make him come after me again.

   "I miss you both, and I probably will for some time to come.  But I also miss my husband, and my life, and the sun.  I miss the sun.  So I wanted to say good-bye, and that I finally understand you, and that I love you."

The next morning dawned dimly and wetly.  Winn would have considered staying in bed were it not for the fact that there was a ship waiting for her in Ipswich.  She got out of bed and dressed quickly, ready to be back on the road, back on the sea, back in Jack's arms.  As she dressed, a piece of paper fell to the floor.  She looked at it curiously, wanting to read it, but there was no time.  Sticking it in one of her trunks, she resolved to read it once aboard ship.

   Walking out the door to her room for the last time, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the room's mirror.  She stopped to look at herself.  What she saw was a woman who was bright-eyed with anticipation, who's dusky cheeks were highlighted in rose, and who seemed at peace with herself.  _There I am.  I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see that image again.  I wonder how long it will stay around, and if Jack will like it was much as the rest of me._

   She was going to stop and ponder this for a bit longer, when two men came up the stairs to carry her trunks down to the carriage waiting to take her to her ship.  _No time to drag my feet._  She closed the door and nearly ran down the stairs.

   She was going home. 

**Aboard a ship headed towards the Caribbean:**

_   My dearest Winifred,_

_I write this as I watch you sleeping at my bedside.  We are both aware of what you are _

_waiting for.  And I know that you will see this as another desertion rather than a step in_

_ both my life and yours.  You are a remarkably stubborn young woman, but I hope that one _

_day you will understand that death is not a betrayal of love, but instead the opportunity to _

_remember it._

_   And while I speak of love, I have some wisdom to impart to you on this matter.  I know you _

_have forsworn love, and I may even understand why.  But I know that no matter how stubborn _

_you are, love cannot be denied.  One day it will catch up with you, and that it's not going to _

_leave you alone until you come to accept it.  In your case, this means that it will have to beat you _

_over the head with a tree trunk.  It will have to rile you up, it will have to make you mad, make _

_you rant and scream and cry, and possibly make you feel as if you hate.  But don't be mistaken. _

_ Love may be an inconvenience for a time, but in the end it is an inconvenience that is worth your _

_time and aggravation and tears._

_   I feel safe saying this because I see so much of myself in you.  I can't tell you the number of times_

_ your Grandfather and I yelled and screamed and swore at each other.  The number of doors that_

_ were slammed, windows snuck out of, and even bruises inflicted (although I am the one guilty of that).  _

_There were times that I truly hated being in love, but that didn't change the fact that I was.  All it_

_ meant was that in the resolution of the anger came a peace like no other._

_   So, my darling and only granddaughter, I wish that you will be inconvenienced at some point in your _

_life.  I hope that you find a man who drives you out of your mind with irritation and vexation.  A man _

_that's worth making up with._

_Go with love,_

_Isabella Morgan_

**Aboard a ship leaving from Swallows Rest:**

****

**_Jack,_**

_I'm coming home.  I've done a lot of thinking and coming to terms with myself.  There's something I _

_need to tell you, but I want, need to do it in person.  Should all go well, I will arrive in Tortuga in the _

_second week of March.  Please meet me at the **Faithful Bride as we had planned.**_

_Your wife,_

_W. Morgan Sparrow_

**Tortuga, March 18th, beginning of the third week:**

   She was late.  She had written and told him that she would meet him here in the second week of the month, and here it was, the beginning of the third week.  _She'd better have a good explanation for this._

  Jack sat at a table in the back of the tavern.  All around him were drunks.  Happy drunks, surly drunks, unconscious drunks, and worst of all – singing drunks.  All in all it was a lively and entertaining scene – one he normally enjoyed.  But under normal circumstances he wasn't waiting to see if his world had run aground while he hadn't been paying attention.

   _She'll be coming.  She said she would.  I have to believe that._

The Faithful Bride Inn was not the only part of Tortuga that was its loud, vociferous, flamboyant, and flashy self.  Everywhere one looked on the small island there was lawless and lurid business conducted, brawls, shifty characters, and even wild animals running freely in the streets.

   The cloaked figure remembered why they so disliked this place – it was too much.  Too much noise, too much danger.  Too much of the worse side of human nature.  Sidestepping several drunks who had conveniently passed out in the middle of the street, making sure to not seem hesitant, the figure made its way to a nearby inn.

   Stopping inside the doors, she looked around, trying to decide whether or not this was a convenient place to complete her business.  It had been a long night, a long week really, and she wanted nothing but to find the one man who would take her away from here.  She saw several people who could be likely candidates for her savior, but in the end they turned out to be . . . lacking.  She was here to find a very distinctive individual.  Someone worth her time.

   Ahh . . . there in the corner.  Her heart beat faster when she saw how hansom, how attractive he was.  _There he is.  Upon further study he didn't seem to be in the best of moods, but she was sure that the right kind of . . . company . . . would solve that.  She watched and smirked as a rather unfortunate young woman was not so politely sent on her way.  _Perhaps he'll enjoy my company better.__

   She started to approach his table, seeing the wavering light from several nearby candles reflect off the trinkets in his hair.  She swallowed hard, hoping that he would wish for her company as she was wishing for his.

   Mind set on her path, she was surprised when a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.  "What d'ye think ye're doin' lassie?  This is my turf.  Leave before the girls and I have to get mean."  

   The cloaked woman simply looked at the tall prostitute, a hint of a smirk on her face.  "I'll only ask you to let me go once.  After that you can't say I didn't warn you."

   Leaning in, the woman dug her nails into her captive's arm.  Before she could make another threatening comment, however, she was abruptly dumped to the floor as her legs were knocked out from underneath her.  Looking up in surprised outrage, her eyes suddenly widened in fear as she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun into a pair of mildly amused eyes.  "This may be your turf, but that is my man, and I will shoot anyone who makes a move on him.  Savvy?"  The woman on the floor nodded.  "Good."

Jack was growing more and more tired of staying in the tavern.  He had had to refuse the advances of three different women so far, and one woman twice.  As the night went on and everyone got more and more drunk, he was finding his usual tolerance for such activities was lower than normal.  Of course, he was also beginning to believe that his roaming wife was never going to show up.

   He was starting to ponder the idea of going after her, never mind whatever ill-thought promises he had made, when he felt a hand trail across his shoulders.  As it did, a woman came from behind him to take a seat at the table across from him.  As soon as she sat, he felt a foot start trailing up and down his shin.  He sighed, wondering what he would have to do to make the local strumpets understand that he didn't want company.  _Well, I do.  Just not theirs._

   The woman didn't say anything, just sat and looked at him from underneath the hood and shadows that concealed her face.  _Just get it over with.  "Sorry, luv, but I'm not in the mood for company right now.  Why don't you move along to your next target like a good girl, and leave me be?"_

   Still the woman said nothing.  She sat silently for another moment or two before asking in a voice barely audible over the ambient noise, "What makes you think I'm selling anything?"  Jack didn't answer her, just waited for her to leave.  "If that's the way you want to play it."  She shrugged and got up.  Tossing a bit of paper on the table, she said, "You might want to look at that," and then she left.

   Ok, he had to admit that he was curious.  That had been very strange.  Picking up the paper, he unfolded it to find two pieces of paper, one folded inside the first.  The first simply read, "Bite me."  On a hunch he unfolded the second paper which had two drawings on it.  The first was a face without any recognizable features, what features there were being blurred and out of focus.  The second was easy to identify, however.  It was the face of his wife.



   Winn was working her way back through the crowd, waiting to see if Jack had as much sense as she thought he did.  _Or at least as much curiosity.  _Why wasn't he coming after her?  Surely he had had time to see what she had left him.  She was on the verge of turning around when the choice was taken from her.  She found herself wrapped in a tight embrace, her mouth being attacked by a man not too much taller than herself.  If she had to guess, she'd say that she would fit under his chin quite comfortably.

   Pulling away, she managed to gasp, "Upstairs.  I rented a room," before pulling Jack back down to kiss her again.  She had missed him so much, and had wondered what their reunion would be like.  This, while perhaps not what she had been planning, was working out just fine.

   Somehow they managed to get upstairs.  Somehow they managed to get into the room that had been rented to them.  Somehow they managed to lock the door.  And somehow they managed to not break their embrace in doing all this.  Finding himself pressed against the door, the handle digging uncomfortably into his back, Jack asked his wife, "Miss me?"

   Deciding that it was somewhat unnecessary to answer that question, Winn merely said what she had been waiting months to say.  "I love you.  Don't stop."

   Jack didn't.

It was morning before Jack awoke.  It was a first for him to find Winn awake before he was, but there she was, sitting in the bed, looking down at him with an unreadable look in her eyes.  He didn't like that look.  "What's wrong?"

   He was taken by complete surprise when Winn launched herself at him and started beating on his chest.  "How dare you?" she cried.  "How could you do this to me?"

   Jack quickly grabbed hold of her wrists, controlling the tattoo they had set up against his ribcage.  "What're you mad at me for now?  I've barely been awake for a minute and already you're bein' unnecessarily confusing.  What's got you riled?"

   "You!  How dare you sleep with a woman who's not your wife?  How could you do that to me?"  Winn saw the look of complete and utter bewilderment spread across Jack's face.  It was too much.  She broke down in joyous, abandoned laughter.  That look was priceless.

   Jack watched his wife wondering if someone could actually go mad from too much thinking.  "Love?"

   "Yes, I am and I do, and as long as we're on dry land I am not your wife, so therefore you just slept with someone you're not married to, you beast."  Winn had never felt so good, so refreshed, so free.  "You'll have to make amends for that little oversight by taking me on the _Black Pearl_ as soon as possible."

   "And how is that going to help?"  Winn wasn't the only one enjoying herself.  Jack had never really found joy in anyone else's happiness before, but this was different.  He had before him a woman who was happy, and playful, and to all appearances totally at peace with who she was.  Not just when she was alone, but when she was with him.

   Looking at him with an evil grin, she leaned forward and practically purred in his ear, "I already said that you were going to have to take me on the _Black Pearl_.  Do I really need to spell it out for you, Captain Sparrow?"

It turns out that she didn't.  It was midmorning before they actually were prepared to leave to return to the _Pearl.  Stopping Winn before she could open the door, Jack asked something that had been bothering him.  "Why were you late gettin' here, love?"_

   Winn saw the fading vestiges of doubt in his eyes.  She reached up to cup his cheek, his beard tickling her palm.  "My ship got blown off course in a particularly nasty storm and had to put in at a nearby island to make repairs.  To make up for lost time, I made the captain bring me here before he dropped off any of his other passengers."

   "How'd you do that?"

   "I believe I made several rather unrepeatable threats.  I knew, or at least I hoped that you would still be here."  Looking solemn for the first time that morning, Winn repeated what she had said the night before.  "I love you, Jack.  I'm not sorry that I had to go away and wrestle with myself to admit that, but I would have been if you hadn't been here waiting for me.  I'm not sure that I had nearly enough confidence to hunt you down to tell you that."  She smiled wryly.  "Although I might have eventually, once I had gotten nice and upset over the fact that you had given up on me."

   "You wouldn't have had the chance.  I would have found you first and demanded an accounting as to why you were late.  I don't easily let go of what's mine, Winnie."  He leaned forward to kiss her again.  "And you . . . are most definitely . . . mine."

**That evening on the Black Pearl:**

   "So, what are we going to do now?"  Winn and Jack were on the deck of the _Pearl, watching the sun go down.  They weren't holding hands, and they weren't whispering, in the manner of many lovers.  They were simply walking side by side, every once and awhile saying something to the other._

   "I don't particularly care.  I'm afraid I worked the crew a little hard in your absence.  I think they would be content enough to have an easy stretch for a time.  Not for long: they're pirates, they crave action."  Jack sighed, "But if there was something you wanted to do . . . ."

   Winn nodded absently.  "I was thinking that I owe Grandfather an apology.  He was right when he said that I would understand why he did this."

   "Do you?"

   "Um-hmm.  I read a letter from Grandmother while away.  She did more to convince me of what I was feeling than anything else had up to that point."

   "And what were you feeling?"

   "Inconvenienced.  It's just that I didn't know that love sometimes disguises itself as irritation and annoyance to get the attention of particularly stubborn people."

   Jack nodded.  He could understand that.  He could see how love could be inconvenient.  He had certainly thought so at times.  "So, after we go thank your grandfather, then what?"

   Winn stopped and looked at the man she had once detested, had once avoided like the plague, had once run away from, and had eventually run to.  _Life is a funny thing, she decided.  Turning away and walking once again, she simply said, "Then we find what's behind the horizon."_

   And so the adventure did not end, but paused before once again resuming.


	25. Final Author's Note

**Final Author's Note:**

Well, that was it, and this is it.  The ending of "Inconvenient."  I started this story less than two months ago, and yet it seems like I've been writing it forever.  Can't really believe I'm done, even though I went to Staples today and printed out all 174 pages, 114,432 words.  *Am exceedingly amazed.*  I must thank everyone who reviewed for this – without you I'm not sure I would have keep updating, and updating, and updating.

   I say once again that I started this story simply because I hadn't set aside time to write in three years – and I wanted to get back into it.  You've all made this an experience that I'm pretty sure I won't forget.  Thank you all who read, and all who reviewed.

   **BTW – if you haven't reviewed yet, please do.  I want to hear from you all.  Please e-mail me at rythmteck@earthlink.net and in the heading, write "story."  I'll know what that means.  This way I can get back to each of you, as I love doing.**

**You need to know **that I am going to be doing some revamping of chapters.  Basically I am going to go through and compress two chapters into one.  This will still be the same story – I'm just making it 20ish chapters instead of 50.  I will be doing that sometime tomorrow.  I will also be deleting my responses to your reviews.  If you want them – print them off now.

**When to expect something new from me:**

I hope to get the first chapter of my new long-term fic out sometime between one and two weeks from now.  I might start a rather random fic entitled "Face Shots" that will be random ramblings inspired by "Inconvenient" and its sequel.  I probably won't update that one much.  I also might start a fic called "Patience" about my one character that everyone loves to hate – a purely humor piece.  But that one is going to take a bit more thought.

   What can you do while you're waiting?  Check out my favorite stories and favorite authors lists to check out some of my favorite PotC fanfic, including some written by fellow reviewers.  Tell 'em I sent you.

**Author's Thanks:**

I've gotten so many reviews for this story – more than the 440+ listed.  I'm no longer able to reply at the end of chapters, so please, e-mail me and I will e-mail you back.  Or review through ff.n, just make sure that there is an e-mail address available to me somewhere so I can reply.

**Once again I thank you all, and watch out for my next fic(s) whenever it (they) should appear.  Thanks for a great writing experience.**

**Sarah**


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